Delhi downpour triggers waterlogging, traffic chaos — and political sparring

The maximum temperature on Tuesday was six notches below normal at 29.1 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature was near normal at 26.8 degrees Celsius

The Safdarjung observatory, the primary weather station, logged 68.1 mm on Tuesday. Ridge reported 129.8 mm rainfall, Lodi Road 72.4 mm, Pragati Maidan 45.6 mm, Pusa 37.5 mm, and Ayanagar 23.4 mm. Other areas received light rainfall, with Palam recording 4.6 mm, Janakpuri 4 mm, and Najafgarh 1.5 mm.

The highest rainfall logged in a day last year (July 26) was 39.4 mm.

Following Tuesday’s downpour, the monthly average rainfall in the city surpassed the long-period average of 195.8 mm. The total rainfall so far this month stood at 220.2 mm, as per IMD data.

Meanwhile, the city’s air quality improved. The AQI (air quality index) went up from 86 the day before to 72. The Capital’s air has remained “satisfactory” for an entire month, mainly due to the rain and wind conditions, according to the weather department.

The maximum temperature on Tuesday was six notches below normal at 29.1 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature was near normal at 26.8 degrees Celsius.

Key roads flooded

Through the day, visuals of flooded streets emerged from Connaught Place, Panchkuian Road, Qutub Road in Sadar Bazaar, Janpath and Savitri Flyover, Zakhira Railway underpass, and Ring Road, among other parts.

Other waterlogged areas included Old Rohtak Road, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, Sarai Kale Khan, Mayapuri Chowk, Mukarba Chowk to Model Town Road, near Town Hall in Chandni Chowk, Azadpur Block G, Daryaganj, Kamla Nagar market, Laxmi Nagar, Old Rohtak Road, and Majnu Ka Tila main road.

An auto rickshaw driver in Connaught Place, Kuldeep Singh (50), rued, “Whether it is a BJP government or AAP, nobody wants to help the public. They all know that this becomes a problem every year… our business suffers due to all this.”

Water logging at the servant houses of Delhi LG office after the heavy rain on Tuesday (Express Photo/Gajendra Yadav)

CM Gupta acknowledged the widespread waterlogging, but claimed that the rainwater was drained out within a short period. “Our teams had been active since early morning and were continuously monitoring every affected point. Officials and staff are conducting a detailed assessment of how long water remained at each location, how quickly it was drained, and what further measures can be taken for improvement,” she told reporters.

As PWD’s Flood Control department reported over 100 calls, Minister Singh took to X and posted videos of Minto Bridge, Moolchand Underpass, and Pul Prahaldpur, claiming that after the BJP came to power, roads that were waterlogged earlier are now clear.

However, former CM and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Atishi, hit out at the BJP government. “Delhi roads have become ponds in just ten minutes of rainfall,” she wrote in a social media post.

CM Gupta acknowledged the widespread waterlogging, but claimed that the rainwater was drained out within a short period (Express Photo/Praveen Khanna)

AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj shared a video of an inundated ITO and said, “This is Delhi’s ITO. On July 9, L-G (VK Saxena) sahab and the PWD Minister had come here to inspect the work to clear waterlogging, congratulating each other for the good work. Today, with waterlogging again, please accept my congratulations as well.”

He also shared a purported video of the Centre-run Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, under the New Delhi Municipal Council’s jurisdiction, where people were seen wading through knee-deep water.

According to NDMC officials, the rainfall received was higher than the expected capacity. “Water receded within an hour as we installed pumps and desilted drains in Connaught Place and Janpath,” an official said.

According to the IMD’s seven-day forecast, a generally cloudy sky with moderate rain is forecast on Wednesday. The Met department has predicted the possibility of rain with thunderstorms or lightning during this period. As a result, temperatures are expected to remain below normal as per the IMD.