India, July 11 -- New Delhi

The incessant spell of rainfall that started on Wednesday evening and continued through the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday brought the Capital to its knees, as major roads were waterlogged, water flowed into houses, and traffic came to a standstill, due to knee-deep water at multiple places.

The worst hit were the north, southwest, east and southeast Delhi localities. Even as the intensity of the rainfall reduced by Thursday morningwater was yet to recede from the underpasses and bylanes, putting into sharp focus the city's lack of monsoon preparedness, given it was the first significant spell of monsoon rainfall.

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, in a review meeting on Thursday, said the govern...