Sudden shower brings Capital to its knees; shows up yawning gaps in the drainage system
After a scorching hiatus of over two weeks, the national Capital and its adjoining areas, on Thursday, finally witnessed heavy showers which pulled down the temperature by nearly 10°C. However, a single downpour was enough to expose the ‘monsoon preparedness’ in the city as several stretches were waterlogged throwing traffic completely out of gear. There were a number of trees falling and building collapse incidents as well.
The day began on a sunny note but by afternoon, the sky became cloudy paving the way for heavy rainfall and strong winds in the Capital. The same weather conditions occurred in the National Capital Region (NCR), including Noida and Ghaziabad. The rains brought an end to the long spell of sultry and hot weather that prevailed for 17 days. Prior to Thursday’s showers, Delhi had last witnessed rainfall on August 10 where the rain gauge measured rains amounting to 76.5 mm.
Rainfall began at around 2.30 pm and continued for over 30-40 minutes. The maximum settled at 37.2°C, which dropped to 27.2°C as soon as rains lashed. Safdarjung recorded a rainfall of 6.8 mm, whereas Palam recorded the highest with 24.6 mm rainfall. lodhi Road area witnessed 7.8 mm and the Ridge Area recorded 16.4 mm of rainfall. Ayanagar, however, only saw traces of rain.
The maximum temperature settled three notches above the season’s average at 37.2°C. Following the showers, the mercury dropped to 31.2°C at 5.30 pm. Unperturbed by the jams, many Delhiites especially families thronged the city’s popular hotspots like India Gate and Dilli Haat in the evening to enjoy the weather. The minimum temperature was recorded at 28.4°C, which was two notches above normal for this time of the year. Humidity levels oscillated between 77 per cent and 57 per cent.
According to the city’s municipal corporations, seven trees fell in North Delhi and six in South Delhi. In addition, a house collapsed in Batla Nagar area and a wall came down in Jamia Nagar in South Delhi. The heavy rain caused waterlogging in many parts of the city which led to traffic snarls.
Bumper-to-bumper traffic was reported from around Central Delhi, the commercial hub of Connaught Place and ITO crossing, which has numerous Government offices. Areas like lajpat Nagar, South Extension and Govindpuri in South Delhi were affected too, the Traffic Police said.
Meanwhile, the MeT Office has forecast more rain on Friday. “The sky tomorrow (Friday) will be partly cloudy and parts of the city will get rain. But rains are less likely to occur on Saturday and Sunday, although there will be overcast conditions,” said an IMD official. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 36°C and 27°C, the official added.
Wednesday’s maximum temperature settled five notches above the season’s average at 38.2°C, while the minimum was recorded at 27.5°C, a notch above the season’s average.