Airport road closed for half a day due to waterlogging

People travelling towards the airport on Tuesday were caught unawares when they found that the northern access road leading to T3 was shut due to waterlogging.

People travelling towards the airport on Tuesday were caught unawares when they found that the northern access road leading to T3 was shut due to waterlogging.

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Though traffic was diverted via Mahipalpur, even the Mahipalpur Road was flooded, leading to long traffic jams.

"Traffic took a long time to move as rain water had collected everywhere. I was somehow able to make it on time though," said Shailendra Sharma, who had gone to the airport to pick up his parents.

The Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) said that rain water from NH8 and Mahipalpur entered the Commercial Project Development area also known as Aerocity/ Hospitality district which then overflowed on to the road near the tunnel on northern access road, causing the road to be partially flooded. Ultimately, it had to be closed for some time.

"Eight pumps and a large number of labourers were employed to clear the water. We were able to clear the water only once the rain stopped. The road was reopened in the evening," said a DIAL official.

The three city municipal corporations reported five complaints of waterlogging at Lawrence Road, Azadpur, Narela, Wazirabad and Saket. Six trees also fell in different parts of the city. According to the corporations, pumps were used at the affected areas and water was cleared.

The Ring Road at ISBT witnessed slow traffic due to the waterlogging. The municipal corporations, however, said that the road had been transferred to the Public Works Department and did not come under their jurisdiction.

Rainy start to the day
After a long wait and much delay, Delhiites woke up to a rainy morning on Tuesday.

This, the Met department said, was here to stay for some time.

While most areas of Delhi received low to moderate rainfall, south Delhi got the lion's share with areas close to the airport and Mehrauli receiving close to 56.8mm of rain.

"This kind of weather is likely to continue for the next few days. On Wednesday, it will continue to rain in most parts of Delhi with thunderstorms expected in some parts," said a Met department official.

The average rainfall, according to the Met department, stood at 9.5mm in the morning and 15mm in the evening.

"The monsoon had arrived on July 2, but cloudy skies and consistent rain have begun only now," the official added.

While the maximum and minimum temperature on Tuesday stood at 31 degrees and 25.4 degrees respectively, temperatures are likely to come down further on Wednesday.

Delhiites, meanwhile, made optimum use of the change. "The weather was fantastic and for a change it felt less humid. It was a perfect day to get out and seize the day," said Jigyasa Vora, who was at India Gate.