Delhi experienced severe waterlogging and traffic congestion on Thursday following incessant rainfall that hit the city early in the morning. The heavy downpour led to significant disruptions across various parts of the national capital, with visuals showing vehicles struggling to navigate through heavily waterlogged roads. Several underpasses were nearly submerged, making them impassable and causing major traffic snarls. Commuters faced a challenging time as they navigated through flooded streets, leading to widespread delays.
The heavy rains not only affected Delhi but also extended to its adjoining areas in the National Capital Region (NCR), including Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram. These areas witnessed similar downpours, compounding the traffic woes for residents. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a bulletin forecasting that Delhi-NCR would continue to experience widespread rainfall throughout the week, raising concerns about further waterlogging and traffic disruptions.
The current spell of rainfall comes after a period of humid conditions that had persisted in Delhi for several days. The unexpected intensity of the downpour has caught many residents off guard, as the city has been grappling with waterlogged streets and the resulting traffic chaos. The IMD has attributed this weather pattern to a cyclonic circulation over southeast Uttar Pradesh, coupled with an east-west trough extending to the circulation over the east-central Bay of Bengal. This meteorological condition has led to sustained rainfall activity in the region.
Delhi’s Safdarjung Observatory, the city’s primary weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 23 degrees Celsius on Thursday, which is three notches below the normal temperature for this time of year. On the previous day, Wednesday, the minimum temperature was slightly higher at 23.4 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature reached 34 degrees Celsius. Despite the rainfall, the weather office has predicted a marginal rise in temperatures in the coming days, providing some relief from the cool, rainy conditions.
This year, Delhi has experienced an unprecedented weather pattern, with August recording the highest rainfall in a decade. By August 22, the city had already received 269.9 mm of rain, surpassing the previous record set in August 2013, according to data from the IMD. The heavy rainfall has raised concerns about the city’s drainage infrastructure and its ability to handle such weather events, especially as more rain is forecasted. Authorities have been urged to take immediate measures to alleviate the impact of waterlogging and ensure smoother traffic flow in the days ahead.
