Delhi rains: ‘If Yamuna crosses 206-metre mark…’ - Kejriwal’s update

Why did two-day rain cripple Delhi? Kejriwal said Delhi's systems were not designed to receive 153mm of rain in two days.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said there is no flood threat in Delhi now because of Yamuna's water level rising after two days of non-stop rain in the Capital. As the two-day rain brought Delhi to its knee raising questions over the civic infrastructure of the Capital, Kejriwal said Delhi's systems are not designed to take such unprecedented rain. Delhi received 153 mm of rain on July 8 and 9 -- breaking the record of decades. The evacuation of the people in the low-lying areas around the Yamuna River will start once the river breaches the 206-metre mark, Kejriwal said.

Delhi rain: Kejriwal convened a meeting on Monday to review the rain situation in the capital.

Monsoon mayhem in North India: Follow LIVE updates

Assuaging fear triggered by Sunday's flood warning in Delhi after Haryana released more than 1 lakh cusecs of water into the Yamuna river from the Hathnukind barrage, Kejriwal on Monday said this is not the time to point fingers at each other. Delhi government is prepared for all emergencies though according to the weather predictions, the intensity of the rain will gradually decrease, Kejriwal said.

“Not only in Delhi, but the entire North India received unprecedented rain. People are facing difficulties everywhere. This is not a time to point fingers that why this happened. I believe all parties and all governments are working their best in the affected areas,” Kejriwal said adding that all efforts are less given the situation.

How much rain can Delhi take? Kejriwal said, "In the last few years, there have been instances where the rainfall crossed 100mm. There were incidents of waterlogging in some areas. But those were managed within a few hours."

Delhi flood alert: Has flood ever occurred in Delhi?

Speaking on flood alert in Delhi, Kejriwal said the situation depends both on rain inside Delhi and the water release into the Yamuna river from Haryana. The second factor is more important, Kejriwal said. "There was a flood once in 1978 when 7 lakh cusec water was released from Hathnikund. But in 2013,2019, there was no flood," Kejriwal added.

Delhi rain: Massive waterlogging, schools closed

The two-day rain led to waterlogging in areas never recorded before in Delhi. There was knee- to ankle-deep water in areas of Connaught Place on Sunday. All schools remained closed on Monday. The functioning of the Delhi high court was also affected on Monday because of water leakage in some courtrooms.

Delhi rain: Political slugfest

As visuals of Delhi turning into a river city emerged on social media, the BJP trained the gun on the AAP government accusing it of civic failure. BJP leaders demanded the resignation of Delhi PWD minister Atishi.

Why did it rain so much in Delhi? How long will it continue?

The combination of an active monsoon trough over Delhi and the Western Disturbances resulted in record-breaking rainfall in Delhi on July 8 and 9. According to the IMD bulletin, Delhi-NCR will continue to receive more rain in specific areas in the next five days.