New Delhi: Tuesday afternoon’s intense rain led to widespread waterlogging and damage across the city.At Tis Hazari Courts, water entered the premises and lawyers’ chambers. A video circulating on social media showed people questioning how the area remained flooded despite claims that drain-cleaning and desilting work were completed in June.Sadar Bazaar’s Teliwara or Mahavir Bazaar witnessed flooding after just 10 minutes of rain. Residents reported knee-deep water in some areas, with several people seen dragging scooters through flooded lanes. Waterlogging was also reported from different parts of Lutyens’ Delhi.In south Delhi’s East of Kailash, strong winds uprooted a large tree that fell on parked cars, damaging them. No casualties were reported. New Delhi Municipal Council received nine complaints through its call centre, including two cases of waterlogging at Baba Khadak Singh Marg and Panchkuian Road, two complaints related to damaged or fallen trees at Ashoka Road and Bangla Sahib Gurdwara, and five complaints regarding power outage in areas such as Peshwa Road and Mandir Marg. Officials said three complaints were resolved by evening.Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials said it had received five complaints from west Delhi related to fallen trees or branches, including areas such as Rajouri Garden and Vikaspuri. It also received complaints about dangerous buildings from Tagore Garden and Keshavpuram.East Delhi’s Geeta Colony faced severe waterlogging, with residents questioning the effectiveness of desilting work carried out by the authorities.In West Patel Nagar, MCD teams, including the deputy commissioner, carried out declogging operations to clear affected roads. Residents, however, continued to report difficulties. Ankita Arora, a 23-year-old resident of west Delhi, said her regular one-hour commute to central Delhi extended to nearly one hour and 45 minutes due to flooded roads and traffic congestion. She also witnessed a woman and a child fall from a scooter while trying to cross a waterlogged stretch near Shankar Road.Internal lanes in Inderpuri D Block were covered with silt soon after the rain began, while Nangloi Main Chowk experienced major congestion due to flooding. Videos from Swaroop Nagar showed schoolgirls crossing flooded roads while holding onto fences near an electricity transfer station. In Sangam Vihar and Wazirabad-Jagatpur, roads were submerged.Flooding also affected key arterial roads near Delhi’s borders. Water accumulated near the Kherki Daula toll plaza, disrupting traffic for hours. At Ghazipur, traffic personnel were seen standing in knee-deep water while guiding commuters to drive cautiously.AAP’s Praveen Kumar questioned BJP-led MCD’s claims of preparedness. “Despite assurances of extensive arrangements, severe waterlogging continued on roads, in hospitals and at public locations,” said the MCD co-in-charge.When contacted by TOI, MCD didn’t provide details of complaints received from all zones as well as action taken or planned to deal with waterlogging complaints. No response was also available from PWD regarding waterlogging despite its 90% desilting claim.
