Intense water-logging, a sinkhole, one dead and several rendered homeless — that sums up this Sunday in the national capital Delhi after several parts of the city received mild to heavy rainfall over the weekend.

While the monsoons brought about a much needed respite from the high summer temperatures and air pollution, within a few hours of the rain, on 19 July, hell broke lose in the slum area of Anna Nagar located near the ITO area, in Central Delhi, where a road caved in and led to the collapse of at least 10 adjacent houses.

Though the devastation was seemingly worst in the Anna Nagar area, there are videos and images from others parts of the city showing roads and vehicles submerged in water, and rainwater gushing into some people's homes – a reminder that water-clogging during monsoons in Delhi is an annual deja vu.

So, what goes wrong every year? Why has urban flooding become normalised in highly urbanised cities like Delhi and even Mumbai? What is the drainage plan in Delhi and where is the city failing to check its water-logging problem?

Producer and Host: Shorbori Purkayastha

Guest: Prof Rabidyuti Biswas, School of Planning & Architecture

Editor: Shelly Walia

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

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Release date

Audiobook: 20 July 2020