Delhi Rains: Schools To Be Shut In Noida, Work From Home for Gurugram Employees
The weather department has issued a 'yellow' alert for Friday, cautioning people about moderate rain in the city.
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A portion of a road in Delhi caved in as an incessant spell of light to moderate rain drenched the city for the second consecutive day on Thursday, 22 September, leading to waterlogging and uprooting of trees that caused massive traffic snarls in many parts of the capital.
The weather department has issued a 'yellow' alert for Friday, cautioning people about moderate rain at most places in the city.
Gurugram's Disaster Management Authority has issued an advisory directing all corporate offices and private institutions to guide employees to work from home so that traffic congestion can be avoided and repair work can be done.
Meanwhile, Noida's District Magistrate Suhas LY declared that schools for classes 1-8 will remain closed on 23 September in the wake of heavy rainfall.
(Photo: PTI)
(Photo: PTI)
(Photo: PTI)
The continuous downpour throughout the day caused a chock-a-block situation on various intersections and key stretches of the city, sending the traffic haywire.
The rains also led to a sharp spike in cab and autorickshaw fares, as they manned their vehicles through waterlogged roads and obstructions caused by uprooted trees.
Waterlogging In Delhi
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) received three complaints related to waterlogging from Fatehpur Beri, Sangam Vihar, and Tikri Kala village, while there were seven complaints pertaining to the uprooting of trees.
The Delhi Traffic Police helpline said that they received 23 calls related to traffic jams, seven regarding waterlogging, and two related to uprooting of trees from different parts of Delhi.
Calls were received regarding traffic jams at Khajuri Chawk, Goyala Dairy, Yamuna Bridge, Outer Ring Road Paschim Vihar, Rohini Sector 8, Hanuman Mandir Pusa Road, Azad Market, Dwarka flyover, Dhaula Kuan to Gurugram, officials said.
Two incidents of uprooting of trees were also reported from Burari and Abai Marg, officials added.
The Delhi Traffic Police took to Twitter to guide commuters about the traffic situation.
"Traffic is affected on the carriageway from Mahipal Pur red light towards Mehrauli due to waterlogging. Traffic is affected on Phirni Road, and Tooda Mandi red light, Najafgarh due to waterlogging," it tweeted.
"Kindly avoid travelling on Mahatma Gandhi Marg from Moti Bagh Junction towards Dhaula Kuan due to waterlogging near Shanti Niketan," the traffic police said in another tweet.
Road Caves in Near Satya Niketan
A senior police officer said that traffic was heavy on the stretch from Dhaula Kuan to Gurugram, and near Satya Niketan in southwest Delhi.
A portion of a road caved in near Satya Niketan and only two, out of four, lanes are functional now due to which heavy traffic was reported on the stretch, an official said.
Commuters also took to Twitter to complain about the traffic situation.
"Massive Traffic jam from Hamdard Nagar to Ambedkar Nagar Bus Depot," one of the users said.
Another used said, "No traffic police seen anywhere to guide motorists stuck at various locations due to heavy rain – one DTC bus breakdown on Dwarka Palam flyover – stuck for 45 min around 1 pm. Now, waterlogging in Dwarka underpass under airport light – stuck for another 45 minutes."
The fresh spells of rains just before the withdrawal of monsoon from the National Capital Region will help cover the large deficit of rainfall (46 per cent till 22 September morning) to some extent, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.
It would also keep the air clean and the temperature in check, it said.
City Cools Down, Better Air Quality
Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 23.8 degrees Celsius and a maximum temperature of 28 degrees Celsius, seven notches below normal.
The 24-hour average air quality index settled at 66 (satisfactory category) at 4 pm, improving from 109 on Wednesday.
The Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's primary weather station, gauged 31.2 mm of rainfall between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm.
The weather stations at Palam, Lodhi Road, Ridge, and Ayanagar received 56.5 mm, 27.4 mm, 16.8 mm, and 45.8 mm of precipitation during this period.
The Delhi University area, Jafarpur, Najafgarh, Pusa, and Mayur Vihar recorded 16.5 mm, 18 mm, 29 mm, 24.5 mm, and 25.5 mm of rainfall, respectively.
The Safdarjung Observatory has recorded 58.5 mm rainfall against a normal of 108.5 mm in September so far (till Thursday morning).
It had recorded 41.6 mm rainfall in August, the lowest in at least 14 years, due to the absence of any favourable weather system in northwest India.
Overall, Delhi has recorded 405.3 mm rainfall against a normal of 621.7 mm since 1 June, when the monsoon season historically sets in.
The IMD on Tuesday said that the southwest monsoon had withdrawn from parts of southwest Rajasthan and adjoining Kutch, three days after the normal date of 17 September.
Usually, it takes around a week after its withdrawal from west Rajasthan for the monsoon to retreat from Delhi.
The withdrawal of southwest monsoon is declared if there has been no rainfall in the region for five days along with the development of anti-cyclonic circulation and water vapour imagery indicating dry weather conditions over the region.
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