In July 2023, Delhi saw one of its worst episodes of flooding on record. The Yamuna overflowed, leading to the closure of outfalls and widespread failures of the city’s stormwater drainage system.

In July 2024, three UPSC aspirants drowned in the reading room located in the basement of a coaching centre in Rajender Nagar. The road in front of the building was flooded, mainly because drains were choked.

This year, the infamous flood zone under Minto railway bridge did not see waterlogging despite unusually heavy monsoon rainfall, thanks to local drainage fixes and the use of multiple high-capacity pumps. But several other areas across the Capital continued to face the same problems that they have grappled with for years now.

The interlocking web of Delhi ’s stormwater drains, with

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