No region spared as monsoon chokes Delhi

By 10am, the PWD had logged around 25 waterlogging complaints from across the city, including Keshavpuram, Seelampur, Anand Parbat Road and Vinod Nagar

A single night of monsoon rain exposed Delhi’s fragile infrastructure once again on Saturday, as waterlogged roads, shuttered underpasses and transport chaos left thousands stranded during Rakshabandhan celebrations.

A motorist tries to wade through a flooded underpass near Jangpura Metro station on Saturday. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)

Incessant showers turned the capital into a choked, waterlogged maze with roads vanishing under waist-deep pools and public transport buckling under the strain of desperate commuters seeking alternatives to impassable streets.

By 10am, the Public Works Department had logged around 25 waterlogging complaints from across the city, including Keshavpuram, Seelampur, Anand Parbat Road and Vinod Nagar. Traffic crawled through stagnant water under Zakhira flyover, in Karkardooma and Saraswati Vihar.

Two underpasses—Pul Prahladpur in southeast Delhi and Zakhira in the west—were closed for the first time this season, reopening only after hours of clearance work. Long tailbacks persisted well after barricades were removed.

Stretches of Mehrauli-Badarpur Road near Sainik Farm, Saket Metro station, Najafgarh, Rohtak Road, Press Enclave Road and Anuvrat Marg near Qutub Minar Metro station were submerged.The ITO stretch too, saw massive inundation.

Delhi Police issued an advisory by 8:30am asking commuters to avoid Old GT Road due to flooding in Jahangirpuri and Adarsh Nagar, urging use of Metro services to “minimise disruptions.” But public transport struggled—DTC and cluster buses overflowed, Metro stations saw serpentine queues, and app-based cabs became scarce and expensive.

Adding to the chaos, a section of footpath near Vasant Kunj’s Masoodpur flyover caved in where Metro construction work is underway. While no injuries were reported, traffic below was diverted and barricades erected for days of repairs.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation blamed the collapse on settlement in an excavated stretch after heavy rain. Police said a damaged sewage line had triggered the wall collapse.

In north Delhi’s Kamla Nagar, traders counted losses after floodwaters entered shops. “Desilting has clearly failed. Every year it’s the same—commerce paralysed, roads impassable, customers gone,” said Nitin Gupta, president of the local traders’ association.

For east Delhi residents, the flooding brought familiar frustration. “Our sewage lines are decades old, meant for half today’s population. Unless drainage is rebuilt, nothing will change,” said BS Vohra of the East Delhi RWA Joint Forum.

In south Delhi’s Maharani Bagh, floodwaters poured in from Ring Road, Mathura Road and CV Raman Marg. “A trench to divert runoff was suggested long ago, but nothing happened. Entrances were blocked, homes inundated, residents trapped till noon,” said RWA president Shiv Mehra.

Commuters wade through a waterlogged stretch over Rohtak Road near Anand Parbat on Saturday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT)

By evening, water had drained from most streets but public anger remained. The day’s events highlighted what residents have long known: that monsoon preparedness remains more paperwork than reality, regardless of which agency or party holds power.

According to flight tracking site Flightradar24, Delhi witnessed average delays of at least 15 minutes for departures and five minutes for arrivals, with more than 300 flights delayed. Airlines issued advisories for passengers to check flight status in advance, though Delhi airport maintained that operations were normal. DIAL officials said no flights were diverted or cancelled.