New Delhi, India
India’s national capital, Delhi, received its heaviest rain for the month of June in 88 years, with roads being flooded, hours-long traffic jams and the roof of Terminal 1 of the Delhi Airport collapsing and killing one person.
The rains came after a gruelling heatwave in which soaring temperatures hovered around 50 degrees Celsius in many areas of the city. While the weather might have improved, citizens are now facing a problem that is almost seasonal in India’s metro cities.
As soon as the first heavy rains of the monsoon arrive, Delhi becomes a waterlogged, traffic-jammed mess, with deaths being reported almost every year.
Social media is awash, pardon the pun, with horror stories and comments. Many commuters complained of hours-long jams on major roads in the Indian capital, causing a decrease in productivity.
Many daily wage workers and those who are homeless had it worse, with footpaths becoming muck-filled cesspools and their residences being flooded. E-rickshaw drivers and food delivery persons faced a loss in their incomes too.
But why is the city never ready for rain? Let’s take a deep dive!
Unplanned Construction
Every major city has drains designed to take rainwater away from low areas and into nearby reservoirs or lakes. But much of Delhi is unplanned, and there are not enough non-concrete areas for the rain to replenish the groundwater, leading to runoff flooding of roads, and creating havoc.
Over 50% of the city is built unplanned, with little or no space left for water to seep into the ground, as mentioned in an address by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.
Also read: Delhi-NCR receives the highest rainfall in 88 years, deluge brings city to standstill
Plastic clogs drains
Plastic pollution is another major reason why Delhi floods every year. The drains are clogged by plastic wrappers, bottles and garbage throughout the year.
When the rains finally arrive, the drains, rather than being open for the water, are filled with rubbish, forcing water to pool, leading to traffic and health problems.
Lack of drainage
According to Delhi’s Public Works Department, Delhi rains are designed to hold a maximum of 50 mm of rain, exceeding which the roads are bound to flood. On June 28, the capital received 228 mm of rainfall in 24 hours. The lack of infrastructure is glaring.
No planning?
Authorities in the national capital have identified 100 hotspots all over the city that are prone to waterlogging, but this planning happens too late, often after the first rains wreak havoc on Delhi.
In 2011, the Delhi government tasked IIT Delhi with coming up with a new drainage plan for the city’s watershed. The institution submitted a plan in 2018, but it was shelved by the government in 2021 for ‘being too theoretical.’ While theory may be too difficult to comprehend, what is not is the apathy citizens have to face year after year.
Parking Troubles
Vehicle parking is another key issue plaguing the city. With the number of two-wheelers and four-wheelers expected to rise significantly in the coming years, the problem of waterlogging will also increase. People often encroach upon the land in front of their houses and convert it into parking spaces, leading to land that usually soaks rainwater to be covered by impenetrable concrete. Ironically, the same concrete that absorbs heat in the summer also makes sure that rainwater causes flooding in the monsoon season.
West to East Drains for East to West Terrain?
Any terrain has a natural slope, as no area is perfectly flat. Delhi’s terrain is sloped from the east to the west. However, according to reports, most of the existing drains in the capital flow from the west to the east of the city, causing massive waterlogging each year.
What is the solution?
The solution to this problem is multi-faceted, but efforts must be made to create more drains in the city that are adherent to the natural slope of the land, thus easing water flow. Strict restrictions on illegal encroachments and parking will also help bring down the debilitating effect of the rain on Delhi. Reducing plastic pollution and illegal disposal of trash is second only to the most important solution of all: pre-planning.
Preparations for heavy rains must be made well in advance, and a year-long approach must be taken to make sure adequate infrastructure is in place. All of these combined can help pull Delhi out of the deep water it finds itself in every year.
If not, we can continue to post Instagram stories about how blessed the Delhi rains are while completely ignoring the fact that those same rains will one day drown this city.