Complaints logged, issues persist: Delhi’s familiar monsoon loop

Every monsoon, complaints about waterlogging, roads and drainage resurface across Delhi.

Data from the Public Works Department’s (PWD) public grievance portal shows that while hundreds of complaints continue to be lodged, relatively few waterlogging-related works have been marked as completed. Officials, however, say the portal may not always reflect completed works immediately.

According to the PWD’s Sewa portal, 1,087 complaints were logged between July 1 and 6. Of these, 81 related to waterlogging and 234 to roads and footpaths. Overall, 572 complaints were marked as completed. The portal showed only 16 completed waterlogging works, compared with 137 related to roads and footpaths.

Based on portal data, the completion rates were 19.7% for waterlogging complaints and 58% for roads and footpaths.

June data reflected a similar pattern. The portal recorded 4,660 complaints during the month while 557 works were marked as completed. Waterlogging complaints, in particular, showed relatively few completed works.

According to a senior PWD official, completed works are not always updated on the portal immediately. “We have completed most of the works against which we received complaints. Sometimes it happens that the updation is not done, and then that shows up on the portal,” the official said.

Another PWD official said, “These are routine complaints from the public. We respond promptly to complaints about roads and streetlights, including potholes, missing lights, damaged bulbs and damaged poles, and usually resolve them within two to three days.”

Unresolved complaints

Residents, however, said some complaints remained unresolved for weeks or months.

A resident of Anand Parbat in Central Delhi complained to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on June 12. According to the resident, the agencies disputed responsibility for the issue. The DJB later issued a notice and said in a post on social media platform X that the matter did not fall under its jurisdiction.

“In reference to the complaint received on Twitter dated 12.06.2026 regarding the sewer overflow issue in Anand Parbat, it is submitted that no DJB sewer line exists in Anand Parbat area. Complaint pertains to PWD,” the notice stated.

Ankush Pal, a resident of Anand Parbat, claims the problem continues to persist.

“Even without rain, waterlogging is common here because many workplaces in the area use large quantities of water and other liquids. They collect on the main road, creating a layer of sludge. The drains are also not adequate to carry away the wastewater, so when it rains, the rainwater has nowhere to go,” he said.

Recurring issues

Residents in Pitampura also pointed to unresolved complaints. Records on the portal show complaints about blocked drains and the risk of waterlogging dating back to January. According to the complainants, after several reminders, one drain was cleaned, but another culvert remained blocked.

According to Anil Vij, a resident of Shakti Vihar in Pitampura, the problem has continued for over a year.

“We have been complaining to the authorities since 2025, and even when they finally decided to hear us out, they left the work incomplete. Even on the first day of rain this month, there was more rainwater than road to be seen,” he said.

Also Read: Delhi: Waterlogging makes a comeback ahead of monsoon

Road conditions have also remained a recurring source of complaints.

Earlier this year, the Delhi government said it would repair potholes across the city. On June 22, PWD Minister Parvesh Singh Sahib Singh said more than 2,000 potholes had been repaired in a single day.

According to PWD records, 14,757 potholes were identified on roads under the department between January 1 and June 4 this year. Of these, 12,762 had been repaired.

Portal data nevertheless shows that complaints continued to be registered, with 96 pothole-related complaints between July 1 and 6. In June, 44 pothole-related works were completed against 401 complaints.

State of roads

One complaint highlighted the deteriorating condition of Najafgarh Chowk, which the complainant attributed to repeated digging by the DJB. Vaibhav Bansal, who filed the complaint, said traffic congestion had become a regular problem.

“During peak hours, traffic jams last for over two hours every day. It is because of the broken roads, which reduce vehicles to a crawl,” he said.

A senior PWD official said roads found to be in poor condition and prone to recurring potholes are added to a list for complete repair and recarpeting as a long-term solution. Residents interviewed for this report, however, said recurring problems remained despite such measures.