Hard two-hour rain, and Delhi has another manic day

Traffic came to a halt. Trees were uprooted. Flights were delayed and diverted to other destinations. Low-lying areas were flooded and authorities threw their hands up in helplessness - Friday was another manic rainy day in Delhi. The heavy showers started around 2.30 pm and Delhi received 74 mm of rainfall in just two hours.

Heavy rains lashed Delhi on Friday evening, bringing the national capital to a virtual halt with familiar scenes of waterlogged roads, chocked sewers and long lines of vehicles in traffic snarls.

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The heavy showers started around 2.30 pm and according to the Met Office, Delhi received 74 mm of rainfall in just two hours. The downpour brought the day temperature down to 22 degrees Celsius, an official at the Safdarjung Meteorological Office said.

Flights out of the national capital were either rescheduled or cancelled. A portion of the new domestic terminal building was also damaged due to the rain.

"The sudden downpour required us to first divert all incoming flights," said an official at the Air Traffic Control. "We also advised all airlines to hold outgoing flights till the conditions improve."

"In this downpour, a small portion of the roof above Terminal 1D caved in. No one was injured in the incident," the official said, adding that the damage was not significant.

Traffic policemen were seen struggling to manage the traffic at several places as several cars and buses broke down, leading to serpentine traffic jams.

People returning home from offices were stranded on waterlogged roads for hours.

"The most affected areas are Vikas Marg, Kalyanpuri, Trilokpuri, Noida Mode, Mayur Vihar, India Gate, ITO, Lajpat Nagar, Moolchand, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi area, Kashmiri Gate, Lodhi Road, Karol Bagh, Punjabi Bagh, Vikas Puri, Rajghat, Nizamuddin, and Pitampura," said a senior traffic police official.

Neha Singh, a college student, said: "I am stuck at the India Gate circle for the last two hours. The traffic is not moving at all and I do not know how long will it take for me to reach home."

Many trees fell in some parts of the city due to heavy rains that were accompanied by strong winds. On Ashoka Road and near the India Gate, tree branches were snapped and fell on passing vehicles, causing them heavy damages.

"I am stuck for the last two hours at Moolchand flyover. I don't understand why every time it rains our civic system gives in. Why aren't the authorities doing something to tackle this problem?" said Shivam Singh, a software engineer.

Due to heavy rains, traffic signals at several intersections stopped working.

"Traffic personnel are deployed at all important intersections to manage the traffic irrespective of whether the red lights are working or not, as roads in many parts of the capital are flooded," said a senior traffic police official.

Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan was also stranded at the party headquarters as there was waterlogging after the rains.