Intense thunderstorms and rainfall on the intervening night time of Saturday and Sunday laid naked authorities’ “pre-monsoon preparedness” plans, with standard waterlogging sizzling spots—Minto Bridge, Azadpur, ITO, airport strategy and Zakhira—severely inundated with knee-deep water on arterial stretches waist-high water in underpasses.
Visitors congestion at Ram Tula Rao Marg on Sunday. (Vipin Kumar/HT)
As Delhi was battered in a single day, flights had been disrupted, bushes and electrical energy poles had been uprooted, and roads full of water had been a typical sight. In response to the India Meteorological Division (IMD), Delhi acquired 81.22mm of rainfall—categorised as “very heavy” and positively uncommon for Might—between 11.30pm on Saturday and 5.30am on Sunday. Gust winds of 82 kilometres per hour velocity additionally stormed by way of town, as per IMD information.
Commuters heading to the airport within the early hours of the day had been stranded as underpasses and roads resulting in Terminal-1 remained inaccessible. In at the least two cases, buses and a number of different automobiles had been caught within the flooded underpasses.
Though the impact was minimised as a result of rain occurring on a weekend, the extreme waterlogging triggered a political blame sport between the Aam Aadmi Celebration (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP)-led Delhi authorities. The AAP questioned the “absence of the Public Works Department minister”, whereas the BJP hit again on the AAP’s failure to sort out monsoon points over time and stated the federal government proactively took remedial measures.
Visitors was thrown out of substances throughout the Capital and the Delhi Visitors Police issued a number of advisories from early morning to midday, advising motorists and commuters of diversions and different routes to their locations.
No hot-spot decision
A PWD official, on situation of anonymity, stated that greater than 117 waterlogging-related complaints had been acquired by the management room, however a number of of those pertained to different companies and a few had been overlapping complaints associated to the identical web site.
In response to the official, the distinguished waterlogged spots included the Minto Bridge, Zakhira Underpass, Ashok Vihar Underpass, Mashuban Chowk Underpass, Dhaula Kuan Ring Highway in the direction of Naraina, roads close to the New Delhi Railway Station, and the Majnu Ka Tila Outer Ring Highway part, amongst others.
A number of of those websites have been earmarked as “waterlogging hot spots”, the place the PWD assured to have undertaken a number of corrective measures. Nonetheless, scenes from early Sunday depicted a vastly completely different image.
Visuals from Delhi’s Minto Highway present a automobile submerged on account of extreme waterlogging brought on by heavy rainfall. This was not an remoted incident, as a bus and a automobile had been additionally submerged in a flooded underpass close to the Delhi Cantonment, near Manekshaw Centre. A highlighted waterlogging sizzling spot near the ITO, close to the PWD headquarters, was additionally inundated.
The PWD official stated that water was pumped out from a lot of the websites by afternoon. “It was an unprecedented heavy rain over a very short time period which led to waterlogging,” the official stated.
In response to the Municipal Company of Delhi’s (MCD’s) monsoon report, complaints associated to waterlogging had been acquired from solely Moti Bagh, Puna residences close to Patparganj and West Patel Nagar. MCD’s report is compiled from complaints filed on the central management room.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) reported 5 cases of waterlogging, close to Nyay Marg, Tughalq Highway and Teen Murti Highway, amongst different locations, however stated the thunderstorm broken at the least 34 bushes at Shajahan Highway, Akbar Highway, Bikaner Home, and Babar Highway, amongst different locations.
Political blame sport
The AAP, the primary Opposition celebration within the Capital, on Sunday slammed the BJP-led metropolis dispensation over the waterlogging within the nationwide capital, calling it a failure of the “four-engine” authorities.
In a submit on X, former Delhi chief minister Atishi posted footage of waterlogged roads at Dhaula Kuan, Delhi Cantonment, and ITO.
Sharing a video from Minto Bridge—a spot chronically troubled with waterlogging—Atishi posted: “A car submerged under Minto Bridge after little rain. It is clear that the four-engine government has failed,” she posted on X in Hindi.
The AAP additionally questioned the PWD minister’s alleged absence. “Will Parvesh Verma be removed as PWD minister? Why is he not on the ground even after water logging has happened? Why is he hiding?” Atishi posted on X
The BJP hit again, with its Delhi unit chief Virendra Sachdeva saying that the present dispensation has bettered waterlogging measures. “All BJP MLAs and councillors, along with officials from the Delhi Jal Board and Public Works Department, took to the streets—despite it being a Sunday. By 9am, most trees had been cleared and much of the waterlogging removed, easing traffic across the city. By noon, the situation had been brought under control,” he stated.
“After every rain episode, the people of Delhi can clearly see the difference between the former Arvind Kejriwal government and the current BJP-led administration.”
Visitors affected
Giant-scale waterlogging induced visitors congestion and visitors police issued advisories.
In a single advisory, visitors police stated GTK Highway within the carriageway from Vikram Batra Flyover in the direction of Azadpur was waterlogged close to Jahangirpuri Metro Station, and urged commuters to keep away from the stretch.
“Movement of traffic is restricted at Azad Market Underpass in both the carriageways from Azad Market towards Pratap Nagar and vice-versa due to water logging. As a result, traffic is restricted and diversions have been implemented,” one other visitors alert learn.
Autos shifting from Rani Jhansi Highway had been diverted in the direction of Barf Khana, and people coming from Barf Khana had been diverted in the direction of Pul Mithai and Idgah. The visitors from Pul Mithai is being despatched in the direction of Barf Khana and Rani Jhansi Highway, whereas the automobiles from Vir Banda Bairagi Marg are being diverted in the direction of Outdated Rohtak Highway, police stated in a 3rd advisory.
In response to a 3rd alert, visitors was additionally affected on Rohtak Highway (Nationwide Freeway 10) on each carriageways on account of waterlogging and street repairs.