Delhi’s base weather station at Safdarjung received 34.6mm of rain between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm, but several neighbourhoods got far more.
An hours-long surprise spell of rain flooded large parts of Delhi on Monday, with the state government’s efforts to prevent waterlogging coming up short once again this monsoon, even as the showers also pummelled neighbouring cities in the National Capital Region (NCR) and brought everyday life to a standstill.
The rain brought traffic to a standstill throughout the day, especially affecting students on their way back from school. Visuals of children wading through mucky waist-deep water in Delhi went viral on social media, while school buses broke down on flooded roads in Gurugram, forcing some students to walk while others waited for hours without food or water.
The weather forced airlines to divert 15 flights. The winds, of speeds of up to 55km/h, also uprooted nine trees in eight neighbourhoods, according to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).A Delhi public works department official, who asked not to be named, said the number of waterlogging points in the city “has reduced from 194 to 65 due to the government’s efforts” and said the situation was being continuously monitored.
In Delhi, Janakpuri, Sadar Bazaar, Sangam Vihar, Zakhira, colonies around Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Sainik Farms, Mahipalpur, Kamla Nagar, Vasant Kunj, Krishna Nagar and Kirari were hit the worst. Waterlogging was also reported near Connaught Place, ITO and outside the Supreme Court.
There is some ongoing work on the main road, because of which this road is flooded. There’s a terrible smell even when it’s not raining. But after the rain, it becomes a complete gutter. We had no option but to wade through this stinking water to reach home,” said Madhu, a student of Shivani Convent School in Sangam Vihar.
Water levels on an underpass leading towards the airport rose to around 1-1.5 feet, while vehicles were stranded near Mahipalpur flyover, creating bottlenecks that choked traffic and set off winding jams.
Traffic moved slowly on several arterial roads, including Ring Road, Outer Ring Road, MB Road, Kalindi Kunj Road, DND Flyway, NH-9, Vikas Marg, Mathura Road and Aurobindo Marg. Routes around Sarai Kale Khan, Lajpat Nagar, South Extension, Safdarjung Hospital, Dhaula Kuan, Nehru Place, Okhla, Chirag Delhi and Munirka were particularly affected.
The mess in Noida and Ghaziabad was comparable, where the showers triggered waterlogging and traffic snarls According to IMD, the Noida KVK Chholas station recorded 70mm of rainfall from 8.30 am on Sunday to 8.30 am on Monday and another 0.5mm of rain till 5.30 pm. IMD forecast a partly cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers for Tuesday for the two districts, though it stopped short of issuing a colour-coded alert.
Delhi, meanwhile, has so far received 280.4 mm of rain this August, 50mm more than the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) long-period average for the month, with a week still to go. More rain is likely in store for the region on Tuesday, said IMD officials, with very light to light showers at many places and moderate rain at isolated places expected during the day.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rain-hobbles-delhi-ncr-again-as-flooding-chokes-roads-and-traffic-crawls-101787624481775.html