Heavy rain lashed the city on Tuesday giving Delhiites a much needed respite from the sultry weather. But the rain came coupled with the perennial problems of waterlogging and traffic jam. According to the Met department, only light rain is expected on Wednesday and Thursday.
Indira Gandhi International Airport bore the brunt of the heavy downpour which led to diversion of four flights, including an Air India flight from Mumbai in which Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde was coming to Delhi. Three other flights were of IndiGo from Dibrugarh, one of Jet Airways from Mumbai and another of Jetlite from Port Blair. All these flights were scheduled to arrive between 7 pm and 8 pm.
The rain brought the minimum temperature two notches below the season’s average at 25.2 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature was recorded at 35.2 degrees Celsius, which was normal for this time of the year. The humidity level oscillated between 65 and 92 per cent. The weatherman has predicted a cloudy sky on Wednesday with possibility of rains or thundershowers in some areas. The maximum and minimum temperatures would be around 36 and 26 degrees C respectively.
City traffic came to a grinding halt on Tuesday evening due to sudden downpour. Massive traffic snarls due to waterlogging were reported from almost all parts of the city. All the arterial roads including the Ring Road and the Outer Ring Road were inundated bringing the vehicular movement to a grinding halt during the evening rush hours. Scores of commuters particularly the office goers were stuck midway while returning from their offices. The south
and central Delhi areas faced the maximum brunt of the traffic jams.
Traffic snarls were reported from AIIMS, Moolchand, Ashram, Dhaula Kuan, Moti Bagh, Safdarjung, IIT, Hauz Khas, Mehrauli and Badarpur till late evening making
it a harrowing experience for the commuters.
“Jams were reported from crucial areas such as lala lajpat Rai Marg towards Moolchand and Ring Road opposite Defence Colony Police Station,” said a traffic police official. Commuters witnessed bumper to bumper traffic on the DND flyover which connects Delhi and Noida, South Extension, Nizamuddin and Vivekanand Marg. Heavy waterlogging was reported from South Extension, Niti Bagh, Masjid Moth and Green Park that aggravated the woes of the area residents and the pedestrians in particular.
Traffic tails at the saturated ITO intersection stretched up to Tilak Marg, Vikas Marg and Delhi Gate. The New Delhi areas like Connaught Place, India Gate round-about, North Block, Bengali Market, Central Secretariat suffered the maximum problems. Traffic obstructions were reported from Mandir Marg, Barakhamba, Minto Road, Ranjit Singh flyover as well as Chanakya Puri.
Similar scenes could be seen on Shankar Raod, Pusa Road, Karol Bagh and GPO where flooded roads brought the traffic to a standstill. Many people were seen taking shelter below flyovers and bus stops and beneath the flyovers across the city. The ever-congested Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stretch too added to the woes of the commuters where traffic had come to standstill.