Despite '95% desilted' claim, Delhi drains fail again in Monday downpour

Heavy rain floods Delhi-NCR, causing severe waterlogging, traffic jams and flight diversions, while school buses remain stranded in Gurugram.

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.

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Delhi’s base weather station at Safdarjung received 34.6mm of rain between 8.30am and 5.30pm, but several neighbourhoods got far more. Janakpuri was the wettest part of the city with 72.5mm, followed by Aya Nagar (69.1mm), Chhatarpur (61.5mm), Palam (58.2mm), Delhi Ridge (43.2mm) and Lodhi Road (41.7mm).

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).

The situation came weeks after PWD minister Parvesh Verma said more than 95% of drains in the city had been desilted ahead of the monsoon. Verma did not respond to repeated requests for comment on Monday.

A Delhi public works department official, who asked not to be named, said the number of waterlogging points in the city “have reduced from 194 to 65 due to the government’s efforts” and said the situation was being continuously monitored.

“However, the recent intense rainfall has resulted in temporary water accumulation at some vulnerable locations, including stretches under the jurisdiction of different agencies. Such instances are being addressed on priority... PWD has also undertaken additional desilting and capacity-restoration works at vulnerable stretches, including locations that had not been desilted for several years due to inter-agency and access-related issues. Temporary pumping arrangements are being deployed wherever required,” the official said.

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.

In Sadar Bazaar, traders said water entered shops in the Teliwara area.

“The area has been a mess this year and our businesses have suffered. Today, water entered our shops before the MCD could deploy pumps. Despite repeatedly informing the authorities, timely action is never taken,” said Rakesh Yadav, president of the federation of Sadar Bazar Traders association.

In Sangam Vihar, students waded through severely waterlogged roads.

“There is some ongoing work on the main road, because of which this road is flooded. There’s a terrible smell even 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.

Gurugram flooded as school buses remain stranded for hours

Gurugram, meanwhile, came to a stop once again, as showers marooned much of the city. WFH advisory.

The city received 75mm of rainfall till 3pm, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Several key roads, including Rajiv Chowk, Subhash Chowk, NH-48, Narsingpur, Golf Course Extension Road, MG Road, IFFCO Chowk, Vatika Chowk and Sheetla Mata Road, were inundated, with water reaching ankle-to-knee depth at several stretches.

At Subhash Chowk near Rail Vihar in Sector 47, several school buses were stranded. Taruna Bhatia, a Sector 70 resident, said her child had been stuck on the road since 1pm. “It was extremely worrying,” she said.

Monday’s showers were the latest illustration of the pitfalls of Gurugram’s civic infrastructure, which has buckled at the lightest spells of rain.

Noida, Ghaziabad also face waterlogging and traffic snarls

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 8.30am on Sunday to 8.30am on Monday and another 0.5mm of rain till 5.30pm.

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.

More rain likely across Delhi-NCR on Tuesday

Delhi, meanwhile, has so far received 280.4mm 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.