Heavy rainfall brought Delhi to a standstill yesterday, causing severe waterlogging in several parts of the national capital. The torrential downpour, which saw parts of the city receive record rainfall, prompted the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red alert for Delhi.
The IMD advised residents to stay indoors, secure their homes, and avoid unnecessary travel. In response to the severe weather, Delhi Education Minister Atishi announced late on Wednesday that all schools in the city would remain closed on August 1.
पानी रे पानी
तेरी मेरी कहानी
चलेगी साथ साथ
बहेगी साथ साथ।।तेरी सूरत मेरी सूरत
हर सूरत तू ही अमृत
लहराती तोड़ बांध बांध
जब कूदे तू फांद फांद ।।पानी रे पानी
पहचान पुरानी
शुरू भी तुझसे
खत्म भी तुझसे
हर जिन्दगानी ।।#delhirain pic.twitter.com/pmlHq2FGoX— Prof Rakesh Upadhyay (@Prof_RKU) July 31, 2024
Commuters described massive traffic chaos not just in Delhi but also on the Delhi-Noida Expressway. In the national capital, those on the Mehrauli-Chhattarpur road reported being stuck for over 1.5 hours due to heavy rain.
Similarly, long queues of vehicles were spotted on the DND Flyway from Uttar Pradesh’s Noida to Delhi’s Moolchand. Traffic was particularly chaotic on roads in Lutyens’ Delhi and those leading to Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad.
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In Old Rajinder Nagar, where students were protesting the death of three UPSC aspirants in a flooded coaching institute basement, the area was submerged in knee-deep water. Connaught Place also experienced significant flooding, affecting several showrooms and restaurants.
Tragically, the heavy rains led to several fatalities. In Ghazipur, Tanuja and her three-year-old son Priyansh drowned after slipping into a waterlogged drain near Khoda Colony. In Mithapur, a 28-year-old man died of electrocution on his terrace. In north Delhi’s Sabji Mandi area, a house collapsed near Robin Cinema, injuring one person, while in Vasant Kunj, a woman was hurt when a wall collapsed due to the heavy rains.
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In Noida, several underpasses were flooded overnight, and a wall collapse resulted in the deaths of two individuals. Additionally, three people were electrocuted in Gurugram’s IFFCO Chowk after a faulty wire fell onto a waterlogged road.
The weather also disrupted air traffic, with at least 10 flights to Delhi being diverted to Jaipur and Lucknow. Despite display boards at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport showing all flights as on time, passengers were verbally informed of delays once they entered through the gates. Airlines have warned of further potential disruptions due to the weather conditions.
