New Delhi, Aug 14 (PTI) Heavy rain brought Delhi to a standstill on Thursday morning, leaving roads waterlogged and traffic gridlocked.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an 'orange' alert,
warning of more rain during the day.
During the 24-hour period which ended at 8.30 am on Thursday, Delhi's primary weather station at Safdarjung recorded 13.1 mm of rainfall, Aya Nagar logged 57.4 mm, Palam 49.4 mm, Lodhi Road 12 mm, Pragati Maidan 9 mm, and Pusa 5 mm, according to the IMD.
The rain brought down the minimum temperature in Delhi to 23.6 degrees Celsius, 3.2 notches below normal. The maximum temperature is expected to settle around 32 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.
Lajpat Nagar, Rohtak Road, Anand Parbat, GTK Depot in Jahangirpuri, Adarsh Nagar, Old GT Road near Ring Road, the carriageway from Ashram towards Moolchand on Mathura Road, and Dhaula Kuan-Gurugram road were inundated, inconveniencing commuters during the morning rush hour.
A commuter stuck in traffic in Lajpat Nagar said, "I was stuck in traffic for hours due to massive waterlogging on Ring Road near Lajpat Nagar towards AIIMS. Traffic was at a standstill for two hours and has just started moving in a single lane."
A DTC bus was stuck on the waterlogged Dhaula Kuan-Gurugram road. Cars passing through the stretch were partially submerged and those travelling on motorcycles and scooters were forced to get down and push their vehicles through the flooded section.
Similar scenes were witnessed near Subroto Park and Outer Ring Road, Dwarka Sector 20, Basai Road in Gurugram, and parts of Ghaziabad and Noida.
Issuing the 'orange' alert for Delhi, which means "be prepared", the IMD warned of moderate to heavy rainfall during the day, along with thunderstorms and lightning in several parts of the capital.
Delhi Traffic Police took to X to warn commuters about waterlogged areas.
"Due to the recent rains causing waterlogging at GTK Depot, Jahangirpuri, and Adarsh Nagar, traffic on Old GT Road is likely to be severely affected. To avoid congestion, commuters are advised to avoid taking Old GT Road and are requested to plan accordingly or take alternate routes," it said in a post.
AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj blamed the Delhi government for the waterlogging, saying it did not undertake desilting of drains despite a court order.
"Gai bhains paani mein, humari car bhi paani mein hai," he said sarcastically using a popular Hindi idiom to say that his car was submerged.
Despite a high court order, the desilting work has not been carried out and the government is avoiding a third-party audit of the desilting contracts, Bharadwaj claimed.
Waterlogging management under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's government has gone underwater, he said. PTI NSM DIV
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