Delhi-NCR floods again; Colombo, Ireland comparisons highlight infrastructure gap

The Story in Brief

Delhi's Safdarjung station recorded 77.1 mm of rain on August 7, taking the month's total to 204.1 mm. The downpour submerged roads across Delhi-NCR, stranding vehicles and slowing traffic to a crawl. Social media users contrasted the chaos with cities that receive heavier rain without similar disruption. Entrepreneur Harshdeep Rapal recalled Colombo, Sri Lanka, where roads stayed intact even during the civil war despite months of rain. Another user pointed to West Cork, Ireland, which gets 1,200-2,800 mm annually and yet has asphalt roads with few potholes.

The comparisons challenge the familiar excuse that heavy rain alone is to blame. Rapid urbanisation has reduced absorbent surfaces, blocked drains and encroached on natural water channels. Even as Delhi's neighbourhoods saw sharply varying rainfall, from 111.5 mm in Pushp Vihar to 67 mm in Jharoda Kalan, the result was the same: water that could not drain away.