Heavy rain batters Delhi, triggers widespread waterlogging, traffic snarls

Heavy rain battered Delhi on Friday, causing widespread waterlogging, traffic jams, tree falls and house collapses, while no casualties were reported.

Heavy rain lashed Delhi on Friday, inundating residential neighbourhoods and markets, disrupting traffic across major roads and triggering tree-falling and house collapse incidents as commuters struggled to go about their day through widespread waterlogging.

A waterlogged stretch at Azad Market on Friday. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for the city for Friday, warning of heavy rainfall, while residents across several parts of the capital complained of delayed civic response and inadequate drainage infrastructure.

Rain disrupts life across Delhi

According to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), it received 16 calls related to fallen trees and nine calls reporting house and wall collapses from across the city. No casualties were reported in any of the incidents.

The DFS said a woman and her two children were rescued from a house in Burari after a portion of the structure collapsed around 1pm. Tree-falling incidents were reported from several parts of south Delhi, including Malviya Nagar, Saket, Sainik Farm, East of Kailash and Mahipalpur.

The public works department (PWD) said it received more than 30 complaints through its helpline during the day, with south Delhi emerging as the worst-affected region. Officials said several residential areas witnessed knee-deep waterlogging and water also entered homes in parts of Mahipalpur, Chattarpur, Devli Khanpur and Greater Kailash-2. They clarified that no underpasse or tunnel was flooded on Friday, although minor waterlogging was reported at Pul Prahladpur.

Despite the PWD’s assertion that no roads were officially closed, commuters reported long traffic snarls in Mahipalpur, Kalindi Kunj, the Red Fort area and other parts of the city because of waterlogging.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said it received 15 complaints of waterlogging, five tree-falling incidents and 14 reports of power outages. An NDMC spokesperson said most complaints were resolved within 30 minutes.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) also received complaints of tree falls and severe waterlogging from several areas, including Burari, Chattarpur and Karol Bagh.

Continuous rainfall led to severe waterlogging across parts of Delhi-NCR. (HT Photos by Praveen Kumar)

Residents flag recurring civic failures

Residents, however, said recurring flooding highlighted chronic civic failures.

“All of Burari is under water. This is the third day of waterlogging and people are unable to step out. Children are wading through flooded streets to reach school, while multiple pumps have failed to keep pace with the accumulated water. We have repeatedly approached the MLA, councillor and civic authorities, but nothing has changed,” said Narayan Dutt Sanwal, president of the Burari RWA.

Similar concerns were raised by residents of New Friends Colony.

“The waterlogging is severe because our drainage infrastructure has not kept pace with the city’s growth. Desilting remains incomplete in many places, tree roots have blocked drains, and encroachments, like ramps, have further restricted water flow. Every year, we hope the situation will improve, but it doesn’t,” said Chitra Jain, president of the Ashoka Park RWA in New Friends Colony.

Resident welfare associations also criticised traffic management during heavy rain.

“It has been raining across the city. Traffic worsens because signals stop functioning at several intersections and traffic personnel are often missing from congestion hot spots. Poor lane discipline only compounds the problem,” said Atul Goyal, president of the United Residents Joint Front, a federation of RWAs.

Markets hit by waterlogging

Heavy waterlogging was also reported from Chandni Chowk, Chawri Bazaar, ITO and Paharganj, forcing some wholesale markets to shut early as floodwater entered commercial areas.

Locals said Chawri Bazaar’s wholesale market was shut early on Friday. “People mainly deal in paper products and cards here. There was knee-deep water in the market by 11am. A few shopkeepers, who had already arrived, locked their shops and left immediately. I also shut early,” said Meenu Shankar, a food cart owner in the market.