Schoolgirls wading through waist-deep murky water, holding onto each other for balance, and pushing a stalled white school van at an inundated neighborhood road — this is how the morning started in Southeast Delhi’s Sangam Vihar on Monday for some students.Just down the road, at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) primary school in Deoli, which caters to nearly 800 children across two shifts, chaotic scenes unfolded as the morning bell rang. While teachers and staff reported for duty, classes had to be abruptly called off after heavy downpour submerged the school ground under deep, muddy water that did not recede even by late evening.Across Delhi-NCR, heavy rain triggered widespread disruption, waterlogging and traffic jams, causing inconvenience to residents and commuters. At Safdarjung base station in the Capital, 34.6 mm of rain was reported between 8: 30 am and 8:30 pm. According to IMD officials, Janakpuri and Ayanagar recorded the highest rainfall at 70 mm and 66 mm, respectively.Road caves in, parts of city floodedSpeaking to The Indian Express on the flooding of the ground, a senior official at the Deoli school on condition of anonymity said, “During the monsoon, this happens at least twice or thrice a month,” said. He attributed this to a maintenance-related issue of the school’s rain water harvesting system.The surrounding belt of Durga Vihar, Deoli, and Sangam Vihar also saw pervasive flooding, engulfing narrow alleyways. At Main Market Durga Vihar and A-block basement commercial shops remained shut with water accumulating at doorsteps, while on Ashoka Avenue and Raju Park in C Block, residents struggled to drive through the narrow streets.“I have lived here for 50 years, and the neglect remains the same,” said Shanti (70), a resident of Raju Park.“Earlier this month, residents had to pool their own money to lay a drainage pipe because repeated appeals to departments yielded no progress. Just recently, a small child fell into an open drain and was about to drown before a passerby pulled him out.”Story continues below this adIn C Block Deoli Pahadi Road, a section of the road caved in amid the downpour, prompting Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to rush for emergency repairs. In Deoli village, resident Jagdish Anand alleged that house walls have developed cracks due to delayed and haphazard sewer excavations.The recurrent flooding in Sangam Vihar and adjoining settlements stems from several reasons. DJB in multiple submissions previously informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that sewer laying across parts of Sangam Vihar face severe delays.Key bottlenecks include forest-land restrictions requiring clearances from the Ridge Management Board, pending road-cutting permissions, and local encroachments.While peripheral trunk sewers exist along main arterial routes, internal feeder connectivity lags, with deadlines in several pockets pushed to 2027. The resulting mix of sewage and stormwater regularly chokes natural outflow.Story continues below this adAs per officials, ongoing Phase-IV Delhi Metro construction work near Sainik Farms has also temporarily disrupted local drainage, with construction barricades trapping runoff and triggering severe waterlogging and vehicular logjams at the Deoli Mor intersection.Sadar Bazar reminded of last month’s ordealIn Central Delhi’s wholesale hub of Sadar Bazar, scenes were eerily reminiscent of last month’s inundation. Along the Qutub Road–Teliwara Akhara stretch, porters submerged waist-deep hauled heavy commercial goods on their heads and backs to dry ground, while shopkeepers frantically bailed water out of flooded basements.MCD officials noted that Sadar Bazar relies on an aging combined drainage system with limited capacity, which converges runoff from Deputy Ganj and Teliwara into a low-lying DJB barrel. Ongoing tunnel work along Qutub Road further compromised the outfall.To clear the water, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) deployed one dewatering pump, PWD positioned two to three pumps near Azadpur Market Chowk, and the MCD pressed a tractor-mounted pump alongside a diesel unit provided to the RWA. Iron safety covers were placed over three open manholes at Teliwara to prevent accidents, with joint field inspections scheduled with PWD consultants to integrate the stretch into Phase 1 of the comprehensive drainage master plan.Story continues below this adResponding to the citywide waterlogging, Public Works Department (PWD) officials said intensive pre-monsoon preparedness and field monitoring have helped reduce critical waterlogging spots across Delhi from 194 to 65, and recurrent locations from 53 down to 20.