India, Aug. 29 -- Once again, it didn't take a deluge - just a few hours of scattered showers on Friday - for Delhi's fragile infrastructure to unravel.

By late morning, the Capital was already groaning. Roads caved in, cars sputtered to a halt in waist-deep water, potholes swallowed cars, and endless traffic jams turned office commutes into hours-long trials of patience. It was a scene the city has come to expect every monsoon, where even "moderate" rain is enough to topple civic promises.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Safdarjung recorded 56.2mm of rain between 8.30am and 11.30am, 7.2mm between 11.30am and 2.30pm, and 0.3mm in the next three hours. While not extreme, the showers triggered a cascade of collapse...