Watch: Locals use makeshift raft to ferry schoolkids through flooded Delhi streets
Heavy monsoon rains have caused severe flooding in Delhi, leading to waterlogged streets and disrupted daily life. Residents in areas like Valmiki Basti are using makeshift rafts to transport children, citing long-standing drainage issues and illegal encroachments as the cause.
Why it matters
The incident highlights critical urban infrastructure failures and the recurring impact of climate-induced extreme weather on vulnerable populations in major metropolitan areas.
NEW DELHI: Heavy rain lashed the national capital on Friday, inundating low-lying areas, disrupting traffic on major roads and leaving several neighbourhoods waterlogged as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for the city.As rain continued through the day, scenes from south Delhi's Fatehpur Beri showed the extent of the disruption. In Valmiki Basti, some residents waded through waist-deep water while others carried schoolchildren across flooded lanes on a large blue plastic sheet being used as a makeshift raft.Residents said the colony has been dealing with flooding for decades and blamed an incomplete stormwater drain and alleged encroachments downstream for the recurring problem."This is Valmiki Basti inside Fatehpur Beri village. Several of families are affected whenever it rains. There is a government drain here, but further ahead farmhouse owners have blocked it.
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