Flight services, traffic disrupted as heavy rain batters Delhi-NCR

The traffic department of Delhi Police took to Twitter to give updates of several stretches across the capital where movement was affected due to waterlogging or breakdown of vehicles.

As many as seven flights were diverted while at least 40 others were delayed at the Delhi airport after heavy rain battered the national capital and its adjoining areas, including Noida and Gurugram, on Wednesday.

Vehicles wade through a waterlogged stretch at NH24 near Mayur Vihar amid heavy rain in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. (Photo by Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times)

The downpour caused widespread waterlogging in many parts of Delhi, prompting the city traffic department to issue alerts even as it brought much-needed respite from the sweltering heat.

Taking to Twitter, the Delhi traffic department gave updates on different corners of the national capital where low-lying and residential areas were inundated. Some of the areas, including the stretch between Dwarka Mor and Uttam Nagar near the Dwarka Mor metro station, Aurobindo stretch from INA to AIIMS, Moolchand underpass on Ring Road, MB road near Vayusenabad, and Aurobindo marg from IIT Delhi to Adhchini, reported traffic snarls due to breakdown of vehicles.

Traffic in roads connecting Delhi to Gurugram in Haryana were also affected due to waterlogging. Police tweeted about disruptions on NH8 from Dhaula Kuan to and from Gurugram due to waterlogging. “Kindly avoid the stretch,” the alert from the department read.

Visuals showed massive traffic jams at Delhi-Gurugram border after the rains.

Traffic jam at Gurugram-Delhi Border after heavy rain in Gurugram, India, on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. (Photo by Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times)

Meanwhile, a Vistara flight en route to Delhi from Mumbai was diverted to Jaipur following heavy rainfall in the national capital. “Flight UK952 Mumbai to Delhi (BOM-DEL) has been diverted to Jaipur (JAI) due to heavy rain in Delhi. Please stay tuned for further updates,” the airlines tweeted.

SpiceJet also asked people to “keep a check on their flight status” as all departures or arrivals and their consequential flights may get affected due to heavy rainfall in Delhi.

Earlier in the day, a GoFirst flight bound for Delhi from Guwahati was diverted to Jaipur after its windshield cracked mid-air. A Delhi airport official later told HT that the aircraft wanted to land back in the capital, but due to heavy rains and bad weather, it had to be diverted to Jaipur "to be able to land safely'.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an advisory for the public in view of the heavy showers. Forecasting waterlogging and other rain-related incidents, the Met department asked commuters to “check for traffic congestion on the routes” before venturing out and also to follow traffic advisories issued for the same.

Delhi on Wednesday recorded a maximum temperature of 37.7 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal, and a minimum of 28.2 degrees Celsius, at Safdarjung - its base weather station. Following the rain, the temperature of the capital has dipped to 26.2 degrees Celsius, according to data shared by the IMD.

The weather department has predicted isolated heavy rainfall for the remaining hours of Wednesday. The same weather alert has been issued in Delhi's neighbouring regions of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh - both for the remainder of Wednesday and Thursday (July 21), according to the IMD's latest bulletin.

(With inputs from PTI)