Weather Update: Heavy Rain Continues In Delhi NCR; CM Kejriwal Cancels Sunday Leaves For Officers

Delhi woke up to another day of heavy rain leading to waterlogging and traffic congestion across the national capital region. The first spell of heavy rain, going on for two days, has brought the capital city to a standstill with inundated roads and overflowing drains. According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), in the last 24 hours, Delhi recorded 153 mm of rain in 24 hours ending 8:30 AM on Sunday, the highest single-day rainfall for July since 1982. 

According to Delhi government officials, this is more than 15 per cent of the total rainfall it gets every monsoon. This much water cannot be drained while the rain is still on, they said, adding that once the rain stopped, the water was cleared rapidly.

Commuters were stranded for hours, motorists and pedestrians had a hard time navigating waterlogged roads, flyovers and footpaths, while many traders struggled to keep the rainwater from entering their shops.

In neighbouring Haryana's Gurugram, many cars were stuck on inundated roads for hours, while commuters had a tough time in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad as well.

Here are the top updates on Delhi weather: 

1. The weather department issued a ‘yellow alert’ for Sunday, warning of moderate to heavy rainfall while the city still recovers from Saturday’s downpour. This morning, NDMC officials were seen cleaning potholes in several areas to reduce waterlogging. 

2. As many as 15 buildings collapsed at various places in the past 24 hours, including the wall of a newly built school in Sriniwaspuri, officials informed. Another call about a house collapse was received at 9.34 am today following which, three fire tenders were rushed to the spot, Delhi Fire Service told PTI.

3. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has cancelled the Sunday leave of all government officials and instructed them to be on the field. "Today, all the ministers of Delhi and the mayor will carry out an inspection of problem areas. Directions have been issued to all officers to be on the ground and their Sunday off has been cancelled," he said.

4. Saturday’s rain led to water gushing into the storerooms of the city's most popular shopping destination, Connaught Place, and the closure of the Minto Bridge underpass for traffic due to waterlogging. 

5. Other areas that reported waterlogging include Harijan Colony in Kalkaji, Jangpura extension, Nabi Karim in Paharganj and Gautam Puri in Shahdara, according to MCD officials, while commuters also complained in posh south Delhi areas like Greater Kailash and Nehru Place 

6.  Many areas reported power failure, which resulted in non-functioning of signals and manning of signalised intersections by traffic personnel, the Delhi Traffic Police said in a statement. They also received calls regarding the uprooting of trees and potholes on roads.

7. The mess caused by the rain also exposed the preparations of various civic bodies ahead of September, when six G20 Summit events, including the summit meeting, are scheduled to take place in the national capital.