NEW DELHI: A heavy spell of rain lashed parts of Delhi early Wednesday morning, throwing daily life into disarray during peak office hours and exposing the city’s perennial monsoon vulnerabilities.
The downpour, which began around 7:50 am, lasted over three hours, especially affecting East Delhi and adjoining areas. A steady drizzle continued into the late morning, overwhelming the city’s already strained drainage infrastructure.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert, forecasting continued moderate to heavy rainfall with gusty winds of up to 40 km/h, lightning, and thunderstorms. The alert remained valid until 10:40 am.
Dramatic visuals flooded social media. One viral video showed young girls perched atop waterlogged benches at the Municipal Girls’ School in Tikri Kalan, their feet raised above nearly knee-deep water inside the classroom. “If some cameras turned away from Minto Bridge and focused here, perhaps it would benefit these girls,” wrote the journalist who shared the clip on X (formerly Twitter).
Elsewhere, several playschools in East Delhi were forced to close due to flooding inside school premises. A separate viral video from Vinod Nagar near Mayur Vihar Phase II showed a man swimming across a flooded road — a symbolic act of protest against what he called the authorities’ chronic inaction.
Students and residents from flood-hit areas like Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, and numerous housing colonies shared videos showing waterlogged streets, submerged pathways, and widespread disruption. Many commuters remained stranded for hours due to traffic gridlocks across the city.
Residents were quick to vent their frustration online, blaming the so-called “four-engine government” for yet another monsoon failure.
Siddharth Camp and Krishna Market (Post Office Road connection)
Burari
DU North Campus
Connaught Place (CP) parking areas
Geeta Colony
Kailash Colony (F and H Blocks)
Devli to Mehrauli–Badarpur stretch
ITO Junction (waist-deep water reported)
Noida and adjoining parts including Faridabad
Rainfall between 60 mm and 90 mm was recorded in several locations, enough to cripple the city's poorly maintained drainage system once again.
Delhi’s former Chief Minister Atishi also posted on X, criticising the government’s lack of preparedness and calling on citizens to report waterlogging and blocked drains.
“This isn’t just about rain it’s about failure of planning, drainage infrastructure, and accountability. We knew the monsoon was coming. We always do. So why are we still swimming to work in 2025?” read one of the comments on X.
As the capital city sloshes through another monsoon episode, residents are left asking: How many more wake-up calls before real action begins?