After facing a deluge last Friday, Delhiites were at the mercy of the rain gods again as another heavy shower lashed the city on Thursday, causing traffic jams and water-logging in many areas.
A pleasant dawn gave way to a humid morning and eventually rain in the afternoon, bringing respite from the oppressive humidity. The Meteorological Department recorded 36.2 mm of rainfall until Thursday evening.
The maximum temperature on Thursday was 34.2 degrees Celsius, which is normal for this time of the year. The minimum stood at 25.6 degrees Celsius, one degree above the expected temperature.
The weatherman has forecast cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers on Friday, which may be heavy in some areas. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 32 degrees and 25 degrees Celsius respectively, with rainfall expected to decrease from Saturday.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) control room received 18 complaints of water-logging and two of fallen trees.
“The traffic situation was bad in patches. West and South Delhi were the worst hit by the rain and consequent water-logging,” said Joint commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg, adding that the situation was not as bad as that encountered last Friday.
Among the major areas where traffic snarls were reported due to rain and water-logging were: National Highway-8 near Mahipalpur Chowk, Palam flyover, Dhaula Kuan, Bawana, Barwala Road, Mayapuri flyover, Munirka, Delhi Gate, Rao Tula Ram flyover, Mehram Nagar to Indira Gandhi International Airport, Wazirabad Road, M.B Road, Ashram Chowk, Lajpat Nagar market, Dwarka underpass, Bhairon Mandir, Lala Lajat Rai Marg to Moolchand, Patel Road towards Rajendra Place, Saket and Rani Jhansi Road.
The cloudburst at the airport leading to over 100 mm of rainfall also affected traffic. According to Mr. Garg, a major area where traffic movement was hit was the IGI Airport and nearby area. “The northern access tunnel road was completely submerged because of the downpour, causing people to turn to alternate routes through NH- 8, Raddison and Mahipalpur,” he added. As a result, these routes saw heavy traffic movement.
Water-logging between Dhaula Kuan and NH-8 also caused traffic snarls. A low-floor bus also broke down on NH-8 near Subroto Park, slowing movement further.
Both carriageways on the Mehram Nagar to IGI Terminal-3 were closed due to water-logging, and people were advised to take the Centaur Hotel route.
While the downpour was sudden, the city seemed slightly more prepared to face delays and traffic jams, preferring to use the Delhi Metro or taking alternative routes to reach their destinations. There were several however, who faced unpleasant situations because of water-logged roads and traffic problems. “Cars were moving extremely slow…The cab that takes employees back home was not able to reach the office because of water-logging. More than traffic, it is the incessant water-logging that makes the commute worse,” said software engineer Preeti Yadav, who took over an hour to reach Kapashehra border from her office in Dwarka Sector-21.
With most people in the city preferring to take the Delhi Metro to ease their commute in the evening rush hours, trains were reported to be overcrowded on the HUDA City Centre to Jahangirpuri line and Noida City Centre to Dwarka Sector-21line. While a DMRC spokesperson denied any problems on any of the lines, several passengers travelling on the two lines reported slow running trains on both the lines during rush hours.
