Heavy rain lashes Delhi-NCR; Gurgaon shifts offices, schools to WFH mode
NEW DELHI: Heavy rain continued to lash Delhi-NCR on Tuesday, a day after torrential downpours brought large parts of the national capital to a standstill, triggering widespread waterlogging, traffic snarls and disruption to daily life.In the wake of Monday’s heavy rainfall, the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) directed all corporate offices, government departments and private educational institutions across the Gurgaon to switch to work-from-home and remote learning modes on Tuesday.The decision comes after heavy rain threatened to disrupt commute routes and paralyse the Gurgaon’s major arterial roads.According to officials, reducing non-essential traffic will enable civic agencies to carry out uninterrupted drainage clearing, de-watering operations and urgent road restoration work.On Monday, waist-deep water, bumper-to-bumper traffic and life brought to a standstill marked the impact of the downpour, as gusty winds and showers lashed the city, with some areas recording nearly 67 mm of rainfall.Several key stretches, including parts of Lutyens’ Delhi, Mathura Road, Connaught Place, Bhairon Marg, ITO and the Zakhira underpass, were waterlogged, triggering major traffic snarls across the capital.Videos shared on social media showed students wading through waist-deep water in Sangam Vihar, while residents of Sadar Bazar were forced to navigate flooded streets after rainwater accumulated in the Old Delhi area. Residents said they had faced a similar situation just weeks earlier.Roads in the Kamla Nagar market area were also submerged.According to rainfall data available till 1.15 pm on Monday, Janakpuri recorded 67 mm of rain, followed by Chhatarpur at 57 mm, Pitampura at 35 mm and Safdarjung at 29 mm.Commuters reported long traffic jams near Sarai Kale Khan, Mathura Road and the Dwarka Expressway. Waterlogging also affected parts of Lutyens’ Delhi, including Bishambar Das Marg and the area around Parliament Street.Water accumulation was reported near Bhairon Marg, ITO, Mathura Road and the inner and outer circles of Connaught Place, as well as New Ashok Nagar Metro Station, Burari, CR Park and Alaknanda, disrupting traffic and inconveniencing pedestrians and motorists.Waterlogging was also reported from Sangam Vihar and the Bhalswa area in outer Delhi.According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), between 8.30 am and 11.30 am on Monday, Chhatarpur recorded the highest rainfall in Delhi at 28 mm, followed by Lodi Road at 24.6 mm and Pitampura at 18.5 mm. The Ridge recorded 5 mm of rainfall during the period, while Mayur Vihar recorded 1.5 mm, Safdarjung 1 mm and Ayanagar 0.1 mm.Visuals shared online showed commuters wading through water at the Zakhira underpass and severe waterlogging near Shivaji Stadium.The weather office had issued a red alert for heavy rain across the capital for several hours. Thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of 30-40 kmph were also forecast in parts of the city.Heavy rain and thunderstorms were witnessed at isolated places in South East Delhi, East Delhi, Shahdara, Central Delhi, North East Delhi, South Delhi, New Delhi, South West Delhi, West Delhi, North West Delhi and North Delhi.Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 27.8 degrees Celsius, 1.4 degrees above normal, while the Ridge recorded the city’s lowest minimum temperature at 24 degrees Celsius.(With Agency Inputs)
