Delhi is experiencing the wettest July in nearly 20 years as rains lashed the National Capital and adjoining areas on Tuesday, offering some relief from the humidity and nearly wiping out the city’s rain deficit. The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Safdarjung station recorded 380.9 mm rain in July, the highest since 2003 when the city had witnessed an all-time high rainfall of 632.2 mm for the month.
The Met department has also predicted that temperatures would dip slightly over the next couple of days, and the maximum temperature is expected to decline below 30 degrees Celsius. Its seven-day forecast also suggests that the city would continue to experience light-to-moderate rainfall and thundershowers.
Tuesday’s rain led to waterlogging in extensive parts of the city, including Dhaula Kuan, Moti Bagh, Mathura Road, Vikas Marg, Rohtak Road, Ring Road, Sangam Vihar, Delhi Cantonment, Sarai Kale Khan, and Alaknanda, forcing people to wade through knee-deep waters on their way to work. A road cave-in was also reported on Westend Marg near Garden of Five Senses by commuters. The road adjacent to Saket Metro Station also went under knee-deep water.
The waterlogging of vast stretches of Delhi pinned holes in the Public Works Department and civil agencies’ claims of desilting drains. The North, South, and East municipal corporations of Delhi — the city’s three civic agencies — are responsible for the management of a network of 400 km of small and medium drains in residential colonies and along its roads. The major drains are managed by the state government’s works department, which admitted to receiving several complaints and officials that those would be resolved shortly.
The waterlogging also disrupted vehicular traffic in several areas, including Alaknanda in South Delhi. Auto-rickshaws got stuck in the water, forcing drivers to push their vehicles, and cars broke down on some stretches, which further slowed traffic.