Despite bringing some sense of relief from the soaring temperatures, the heavy rainfall in the national capital on Tuesday gave the commuters a very hard time causing inconveniences like waterlogging and traffic congestions at several places.
From multiple venues including AIIMS flyover, at Prahladpur underpass on Mehrauli-Badarpur road in south Delhi, Som Vihar, Ring Road, Vikas Marg, Sangam Vihar and Kirari, complaints of waterlogging have been lodged.
Waterlogging and traffic snarls have severely hindered the traffic movement. Long queues of vehicles were seen at most lightpoints and roundabouts.
There was heavy traffic at Dhaula Kuan, Bhikaji Cama Place, Vikas Marg, ITO, Azadpur, ITO, Ring Road and Kilokri, among others.
Advertisement
Many office-goers reported late for office and several people posted their plight through videos and photographs on social media, some seeking help from police.
"Azadpur was totally blocked. I was stuck there for 50 minutes while I was going to meet a client regarding a case. I somehow managed to make my way," said Rahul Tomar, an advocate who was going from Shahdara in east Delhi to the Rohini court.
Mukesh Shrivastav, who commutes from Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi to ITO, also reached office late.
"I was coming from Laxmi Nagar to ITO. Generally, it takes around 15 minutes to reach my destination. Today, it took me double the time. The same thing happened to my colleague,” said Shrivastava.
Advertisement
Public Works Department (PWD) officials said only minor waterlogging complaints have been reported so far and water has been removed from those stretches.
A senior PWD official said the department has prepared a list of places which are prone to waterlogging and all necessary steps are being taken to ensure that roads are not inundated.
"We have identified 147 waterlogging vulnerable areas across the city. This list has been provided to all officials concerned. Our field staff is on the ground and we are closely observing the situation in connection with waterlogging,” the PWD official said.
People posted pictures and videos of waterlogged streets on social media.
In a video posted on Twitter by a commuter, people are seen manoeuvring their vehicles through the waterlogged Prahladpur underpass.
The PWD officials said waterlogging complaints are being dealt on priority and water has been oozed out of the underpass.
The southwest monsoon brought respite from the scorching heat with weather officials saying it was 16 days behind the usual date, making it the most delayed in 19 years.
Normally, the monsoon reaches Delhi by June 27 and covers the entire country by July 8. Last year, the wind system had reached the capital on June 25 and covered the entire country by June 29.
Advertisement
The IMD had earlier said the monsoon would hit Delhi on June 15, which would have been 12 days early, but the wind system entered a "break" phase.
(With PTI Inputs)
