Delhi received a spell of heavy showers in 24 hours between Saturday and Sunday, breaking a 41-year record. The Safdarjung observatory, which is representative of the national Capital, recorded 153 mm of rainfall during this period. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced that all the schools in Delhi will remain closed on Monday. Schools in Noida have also been closed.
A boundary wall of a newly built government school in the Sriniwaspuri area collapsed. The incident occurred at Garhi Jharia Maria in the East of Kailash area. Two people were rescued after a tin shed collapsed in Zakhira. Several roads, including those in Rohini and East of Kailash in the city, were affected. In the last 24 hours, as many as 15 houses have collapsed following heavy rain in Delhi.
Meanwhile, the backside wall of Deshbandhu College, located in the Kalkaji area of Delhi, collapsed, damaging approximately 15 luxury cars and 10 to 12 motorcycles and scooters.
Delhi PWD Minister Atishi’s residence at Mathura Road also submerged in the waterlogging. According to officials, the PWD)received 38 complaints related to waterlogging till the afternoon. The majority of the complaints pertained to Okhla main road, Kamla Nagar, Nilothi, Ranhola, and Kirari.
According to IMD, the Safdarjung Observatory, the city’s primary weather station, recorded 153 mm of rainfall in 24 hours ending 8:30 am on Sunday, the highest since the 24-hour rainfall of 169.9 mm on July 25, 1982. It was the third-highest single-day rainfall for July since 1958. The city logged 133.4 mm of rain on July 10, 2003, 126 mm on July 28, 2009, and 125.7 mm on July 8, 1993. The all-time high was 266.2 mm on July 21, 1958. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, Delhi has recorded eight “very heavy” rain events (between 115.6 mm and 204.4 mm) in July since 1969. Any amount exceeding 204.4 mm is classified as “extremely heavy” rainfall.
The weather stations at Ridge, Lodhi Road, and Delhi University recorded 134.5 mm, 123.4 mm, and 118 mm of precipitation, respectively.
The heavy rain submerged parks, underpasses, markets, and even hospital premises, causing chaos on the roads. Pictures and videos of commuters wading through knee-deep water flooded social media platforms, raising concerns about the efficiency of the city’s drainage infrastructure. The Delhi government issued a flood warning on Sunday as Haryana released more than one lakh cusecs of water into the Yamuna river from the Hathnikund barrage.
The irrigation and flood control department said this was the first warning, with 1,05,453 cusecs of water discharged at 4 pm.
Traffic police officials said waterlogging has also been reported in areas of Lajpat Nagar, Neb Sarai, Rajdhani Park, Okhla underpass, the road near Delhi Golf Club, near Tikri Kalan metro station, and near Apollo Jasola metro station, Bahadurgarh, Nangloi, Najafgarh, etc., leading to traffic congestion on these stretches.
Mangolpuri Industrial Area Phase-I and Pocket B Industrial area, Inder Enclave, Block-D Samalka, Phirni Road, Kanjhawala village, Ladpur Majra road, New Friends Colony, Seelampur, Shahdara, Lohe Wali Gali, Hauz Qazi, Chandni Chowk, Jangpura, Bijwasan, were among other areas that witnessed waterlogging, according to the data shared by the Central Control Room of the MCD from 8 am and 4 pm. Traffic congestion was also reported to be heavy in Kashmere Gate ISBT, Wazirabad road, Afsara border, and Anand Vihar stretch.
Tree uprooting incidents were reported in Ashok Vihar Phase-3, Begampur, Jhilmil Colony, Timarpur, Defence Colony, Karol Bagh, Dwarka, Sarai Rohilla, Preet Vihar, IP Estate, Daryaganj, Pitampura, Alipur, Shakur Basti, Naya Bazar, Patel Nagar, Govindpuri, Wazirpur, Bhajanpura, Kirti Nagar, and Govindpuri.
With the showers bringing back the familiar scenes of waterlogged roads and long lines of vehicles stuck in the deluge, residents expressed anguish over Delhi’s “poor drainage system.” Delhi has three major drainage basins: Najafgarh, Barapullah, and Trans-Yamuna.
During rainfall, stormwater on the eastern side of the central ridge directly flows into the Yamuna. On the western side, smaller drains merge into the Najafgarh drain, which eventually empties into the river.
The eastern region of Delhi is low-lying and was originally part of the Yamuna floodplain. The existing stormwater drainage system in Delhi is prone to congestion, primarily caused by waste and sewage, leading to sluggish water flow. The last drainage master plan for Delhi was created in 1976 when the city’s population was approximately 6 million.
In April, the PWD had identified 165 waterlogging spots and five hotspots: New Rohtak Road, under the Zakira Nagar flyover, the Loni Road roundabout, near the Jahangirpuri Metro Station, and the Karala Kanjhawala Road. PWD’s central control room also monitors serious waterlogging areas through 24-hour CCTV surveillance.
