New Delhi, Aug 14 (PTI): Heavy rainfall in the capital on Thursday morning brought Delhi to a virtual halt, with waterlogged roads and massive traffic jams causing major disruptions.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an 'orange' alert, indicating the likelihood of more rain throughout the day.
Between 8.30 am Wednesday and the same time on Thursday, Safdarjung, Delhi's main weather observatory, recorded 13.1 mm of rainfall. Other areas experienced higher levels, with Aya Nagar receiving 57.4 mm, Palam 49.4 mm, Lodhi Road 12 mm, Pragati Maidan 9 mm, and Pusa 5 mm, as reported by the IMD.
The downpour led to a significant drop in Delhi's minimum temperature, which settled at 23.6 degrees Celsius, 3.2 degrees below the norm. The maximum temperature is predicted to be around 32 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD.
Critical areas such as Lajpat Nagar, Rohtak Road, Anand Parbat, GTK Depot in Jahangirpuri, Adarsh Nagar, Old GT Road near Ring Road, and the Ashram-Moolchand carriageway on Mathura Road experienced severe waterlogging, causing massive inconvenience during the morning peak traffic hours.
One commuter, trapped in the traffic at Lajpat Nagar, shared, "I was stuck for hours because of significant waterlogging on Ring Road near Lajpat Nagar towards AIIMS. Traffic was completely halted for two hours and has only now begun to move in a single file."
A DTC bus was left stranded on the inundated Dhaula Kuan-Gurugram road, with cars partially submerged, while motorcyclists had to dismount to push their vehicles through the water-logged sections.
Identical circumstances were reported near Subroto Park, Outer Ring Road, Dwarka Sector 20, Basai Road in Gurugram, and in certain areas of Ghaziabad and Noida.
An 'orange' alert has been issued for Delhi, signaling to citizens to "be prepared" for the possibility of moderate to heavy rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning in various parts of the city.
Delhi Traffic Police used the platform X to alert commuters about waterlogged zones.
"Due to ongoing rains causing waterlogging at GTK Depot, Jahangirpuri, and Adarsh Nagar, travel on Old GT Road is likely to face serious disruptions. To prevent being stuck, commuters are advised to avoid Old GT Road and plan routes accordingly or consider alternate roads," they posted.
In a political development, AAP's Delhi unit leader Saurabh Bharadwaj criticized the Delhi government for failing to address the waterlogging problem, citing delay in the desilting of drains despite a court mandate.
"Gai bhains paani mein, humari car bhi paani mein hai," he quipped, using a popular Hindi saying to describe his submerged vehicle.
Despite a high court directive, desilting has been neglected, and the government is reportedly dodging a third-party audit of these contracts, Bharadwaj alleged.
He went on to say that the present administration under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has completely botched waterlogging management.
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