Half of Delhi NCR residents call govt's waterlogging response 'pathetic'

Survey reveals that 75 per cent of Delhi residents lost work hours due to waterlogging and traffic snarls, and 63 per cent reported higher vehicle repair costs from driving through flooded streets

Waterlogging is Delhi’s annual monsoon inevitability. No wonder then that residents here nurse a deep trust deficit in the administration’s claims of better drains, desilting drives and ‘flood-free’ monsoons.

 

According to a survey released by LocalCircles on Tuesday, Delhi residents expressed widespread dissatisfaction with civic preparedness for monsoon rains. Around 79 per cent respondents of the survey rated their local administration as “poor” or “pathetic” when it comes to handling waterlogging in the monsoon season. 

 

Heavy rains battered Delhi-NCR on September 1 and continued into Tuesday, pushing the Yamuna river flow above the danger mark and triggering flood alerts across Delhi and Haryana. With several roads facing severe waterlogging, questions are mounting over whether the national capital neighbouring regions are equipped to handle such conditions.

Residents face mounting costs, lost hours

The LocalCircles survey, which received over 23,000 responses from residents across Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad, paints a grim picture. At least 75 per cent said they lost productivity and working hours due to waterlogging and traffic snarls, with 63 per cent reporting increased vehicle maintenance or repair costs from driving through flooded streets. 

 

Additionally, 88 per cent complained of spending extra time stuck in traffic. The findings come even as Gurugram authorities issued an advisory asking corporates to allow employees to work from home and schools to shift classes online on September 2, anticipating more rainfall as forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). 

Meanwhile, 13 per cent of respondents said they met with accidents while negotiating waterlogged roads.

Connaught Place, Lajpat Nagar waterlogged

The findings also highlight how flooding has disrupted both developed and underdeveloped areas similarly. On August 9 and 14, waterlogging was reported across key areas, including:

• Key commercial hub: Connaught Place
• Residential areas: RK Puram, Lajpat Nagar, Defence Colony, Preet Vihar
• Major stretches: DND Flyway, Mathura Road, Vikas Marg
• Critical junctions: ISBT, Pragati Maidan

Residents surveyed said the problem persists regardless of political affiliation or jurisdiction. Most respondents believe that their city administrations have failed to prepare adequately for the monsoon.

Delhi records wettest August since 2010

Delhi witnessed 400.1 mm of rainfall in August, which is 72 per cent above the long-period average of 233.1 mm, making it the wettest August since 2010. The IMD has predicted above-normal rainfall for September in northwest India, including the national capital.

 

Excess rainfall has been a recurring trend in Delhi since May, with the city receiving 186.4 mm of rain that month—six times its average—followed by 107.1 mm in June (45 per cent above normal) and 259.3 mm in July (24 per cent above normal). With September rains yet to peak, the city is on course to cross the 1,000 mm annual rainfall mark.