NEW DELHI: Delhiites woke up to torrential rains in the capital city on Sunday, which continued through the day. Traffic came to a standstill as many roads were submerged in knee-deep water. Potholes appeared on the roads as roads caved in. Arterial roads, parks, underpasses, some markets, schools and hospitals were inundated.
Strong winds uprooted trees in some places and also caused disruptions in power and internet connectivity. The city with 153 mm of rainfall recorded the highest single-day rain in the last 41 years. According to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the national capital witnessed a single-day downpour previously on July 25, 1982.
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Delhi NCR. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that schools in the city will remain closed in view of continuous heavy rainfall, traffic jams and waterlogging. As the situation turned grim, the CM cancelled the Sunday leave of officials and instructed them to remain on the ground to assess the situation. Delhi Cabinet ministers along with Delhi Mayor carried out inspections in areas where water logging and other problems were reported.
Delhi Fire Services said that 15 calls were received at its control room from different areas reporting building collapse. The Central Water Commission (CWC) has issued a warning and stated that the water level in the Yamuna river in Delhi is rising and is expected to breach the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Tuesday. According to the CWC’s flood-monitoring portal, the water level in the Yamuna at the Old Railway Bridge stood at 203.18 metres at 1 pm on Sunday. The warning level is 204.5 metres.
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The situation also prompted authorities in neighbouring Gurugram and Ghaziabad to announce shut down of schools. Meanwhile, Ghaziabad DM has ordered the closure of schools till Tuesday.“Due to the relentless downpour and the forecast of more rain tomorrow, all Government and Private schools in Gurugram district will remain closed for the safety and well-being of students and staff,” an order issue from the office of
Gurugram’s Deputy Commissioner read. Considering the massive traffic jams due to torrential rain for the second straight day, the Gurugram administration advised corporate houses operating from there to allow work from home for employees on Monday.
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Gurgaon DC Nishant Kumar Yadav appealed to residents not to leave their houses, except for essential work. He also asked companies based in the city to advise their staff, except those involved in essential services, to work from home on Monday so that water can be removed from roads as soon as the rain stops. The IMD estimates suggest that in mere 24 hours, the city filled its average monsoon quota of over 20%.
