Rain brings down temperature in Delhi but triggers waterlogging, traffic jams

The monsoon could reach the city in 48 hours. The annual rain-bearing wind is currently located over Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand, but is approaching fast under favourable conditions.

The sweltering heat and humidity in the national capital subsided after smart spells of pre-monsoon shower on Wednesday, but the rain brought traffic to a crawl as roads in several areas got waterlogged.

Vehicles on a waterlogged road near Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. (HT Photo)

Tailbacks affected most of the city’s arterial roads during evening rush hour after the first round of rain in the afternoon.

“The city received around 15.6mm of rain. But this is not the monsoon,” a senior official with the meteorological office said.

The monsoon could reach the city in 48 hours. The annual rain-bearing wind is currently located over Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand, but is approaching fast under favourable conditions.

The seven-day forecast says Delhi will get intermittent rain and thundershowers, and the sky will remain overcast throughout. That’s good news for the residents struggling with sultry weather for the past fortnight, a common occurrence before the monsoon.

Authorities promised to have done their pre-monsoon checks to reduce rain-related disruptions. But Wednesday’s snarls indicated the city is not adequately prepared for the monsoon, which usually lasts till September.

Traffic police blamed waterlogging for the jams. Among the worst-hit places were Mayur Vihar Phase-1, Akshardham, Pitampura, Yamuna Vihar, Lajpat Nagar and an area around Shivaji Park Metro station.

The Twitter handle of traffic police alerted commuters about roads to avoid. “Obstruction in traffic from Sansad Marg towards Connaught Place due to breakdown of a cluster bus near Allahabad Bank,” said one tweet.