Rain chokes roads in Delhi; people post waterlogging images on social media

A decent pour in the national capital on Saturday gave the public a first taste of the upcoming winter, but also led to waterlogging at several places in the city.

Anand Vihar, Wazirabad, the road stretch between INA and AIIMS, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Tughlakabad, Sangam Vihar, Kirari, Rohtak Road, Vikas Marg, near Zakhira, Najafgarh, Mahipalpur, and Rangpuri, were among several places which witnessed waterlogging, civic and PWD authorities said.

People conveyed their pain to authorities by posting pictures of the waterlogged spots on social media.

Delhi gets flooded even with slightest of rain followed by long traffic snarls. The authorities should come up with a concrete plan to ensure there is no waterlogging in city areas, said Junaid Alam, a resident of Kirari in Outer Delhi.

Prabhakar Kumar, an urban planning expert at Rudrabhishek Enterprises Ltd said that to enable free flow of rainwater, it is required to have integrated drainage system.

Improper integration of the drainage system especially near the flyovers or the underpasses or in densely populated areas makes the situation worse. Drains mainly along the roads, flyovers and underpasses should be corrected in a way that the slope of the roads matches the drains, he said.

Storm water drains are often choked by municipal solid waste and demolition waste. Water-sensitive urban design and planning is required to mitigate the waterlogging problems, Kumar said.