Rain abates after record showers but waterlogging woes remain

In the national capital, Ayanagar weather station registered moderate showers at 39.8 mm in three hours. Other weather stations in Delhi recorded light rainfall. Safdarjung base station, Palam, Ridge, and Lodhi Road stations registered 9 mm, 14.1 mm, 4.2 mm, and 6.7 mm of rain, respectively. Light rainfall is recorded when the range is between 2.5 mm and 15.5 mm while the range of moderate rainfall is from 15.6 mm to 64.4 mm.

Gurgaon, on the other hand, received 35 mm of rain till 4 pm on Wednesday.

In an advisory issued on Wednesday for Delhi-NCR, the IMD warned of slippery roads, low visibility, traffic snarls as well as localised waterlogging in some areas due to moderate or intense spells of rain over Central and South Delhi and adjoining areas of Gurgaon and Faridabad.

Amid complaints of waterlogging, teams of the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) were deployed in various parts of the city, said officials. Pumps were deployed at Sheetla Mata Road, Sector 22A, Sushant Lok 1, New Colony, Sectors 9A and 10A, and Old Delhi Road, among other areas.

Officials said employees, pumps, and machinery are deployed at all waterlogged locations to facilitate drainage. Chief Engineer Manoj Yadav instructed junior and assistant engineers to be present in the field with their teams and machinery as soon as the rain began.

Meanwhile, officials at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said that only one complaint of waterlogging was received from Munirka; while people from several parts of South Delhi, including Malviya Nagar, Aya Nagar, and Katwariya Sarai, complained of waterlogged roads and streets.

The rain, however, brought some respite from heat and humidity as the maximum temperature dropped to 34.1 degrees Celsius from the previous day’s 36.7 degrees Celsius at the Safdarjung base station. The minimum temperature was also close to normal at 29 degrees Celsius.

No significant rainfall was recorded in North, Northwest, and West Delhi.

After several days of “heavy to very heavy rain” alerts, the IMD has not issued any warning for Delhi on Thursday. A “generally cloudy sky with light rain, thunderstorms or lightning” has been predicted.

An orange alert was sounded in the capital till Tuesday, which changed to a yellow alert on Wednesday. The IMD observes four colours codes – green (no advisory), orange (be prepared), yellow (be aware), and red (take action).

The IMD on Wednesday also said that “heavy to very heavy rainfall” is likely to occur over Northwest India during the next four to five days. In its 24-hour outlook for the urban flood risk, the Met Office also said that there is a low to moderate urban flood risk likely over a few watersheds and neighbouring areas of Delhi for the next 24 hours (till Thursday afternoon)

It said that the surface runoff or inundation may occur in some fully saturated soils and low-lying areas over certain parts of Delhi-NCR including parts of New Delhi, South Delhi, Southwest Delhi, East Delhi, and Noida due to the expected rainfall occurrence in the next 24 hours.