Waterlogged Wards, Carbon Footprint: Public Healthcare's Quiet Climate Crisis

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In July 2025, Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, one of the largest Centre-run public healthcare institutions in the capital, was flooded after a heavy downpour. Images of patients wading through ankle-deep muck flooded legacy and social media, painting a grim picture.

This is not the first time this has happened. While the images raised a hue and cry for some time on social media, this seems to be an annual phenomenon at the hospital, with portions including the Central Institute of Orthopaedics OPD, Gynaecology department and doctors’ hostels becoming most affected.

A month ago, in Mumbai, a similar situation played out in the city-run KEM hospital when rain led to waterlogging, especially in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) where infants are treated for serious illnesses.

While waterlogged hospitals are not an uncommon sight in India, climate events of a more catastrophic scale see loss of entire infrastructure in some places.