Delhi schools shut, flood warning issued as torrential rain continues

Water level in Yamuna may cross the danger mark on Tuesday; CM asks officials to inspect problem areas; heavy rain put pressure on the system: AAP

Traffic moves through a waterlogged road near Nigambodh Ghat after heavy monsoon rainfall, in New Delhi, Sunday, July 9, 2023. As torrential rain continued to pound the national capital, the Delhi government announced the closure of schools on Monday after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an ‘orange’ alert, warning of moderate rain in the city. | Photo Credit: PTI

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As torrential rain continued to pound the national capital, the Delhi government announced the closure of schools on Monday after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an ‘orange’ alert, warning of moderate rain in the city.

The Delhi government also sounded a flood warning after Haryana discharged more than one lakh cusecs of water into the Yamuna river.

The developments come a day after the national capital received its highest single-day rainfall of 126 mm in 20 years.

Incidents of waterlogging, traffic jams and uprooting of trees were reported from several parts of the city, which received 105.8 mm of rainfall between 9 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. on Sunday.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal cancelled the day off for government officials in various departments and asked them to inspect the problem areas.

“People were very upset due to waterlogging. Today all the Ministers and the Mayor of Delhi will inspect the problem areas. Officers of all departments have been instructed to cancel the Sunday holiday and get on the ground,” the CM tweeted.

Kanwariyas walking on the Ridge Road amid heavy showers on Sunday. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Coordinated response

According to sources, Union Home Minster Amit Shah spoke to Lieutenant-Governor V. K Saxena and took updates about the work being done to get the city back on track.

The Delhi police deployed 3,450 traffic personnel to deal with complaints of traffic jams and failure of traffic signals.

“Messages through the traffic control room were flashed to the control rooms of other civic agencies to utilise local resources and manpower to attend to the calls promptly,” the police said in a statement.

The Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, which had claimed to be fully prepared for the monsoon, said the volume of rain the city witnessed in such a short duration was unprecedented.

PWD Minister Atishi and Mayor Shelly Oberoi visited several waterlogged areas and instructed officials to monitor the situation closely.

‘Proactive deployment’

AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said, “The Delhi government has proactively deployed various preventive measures, which reflect the continuous commitment of the Delhi government to combat waterlogging effectively.”

‘Enormous pressure’

She said over 20% of the rain that Delhi received in this season was recorded in 24 hours, putting enormous pressure on the existing infrastructure.

“To ensure the modernisation of the drainage system in the city, the government has appointed a dedicated consultant. Alarms and automatic pumps have been installed at various locations. Over the past year, the Delhi government has identified approximately 165 waterlogging hotspots and implemented a range of short-term and long-term measures to mitigate the problem,” Ms. Kakkar said.

The Central Water Commission (CWC) said that the water level in the Yamuna river is rising and is expected to breach the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Tuesday.