Moderate to heavy rain continued to lash several parts of the city and its adjoining areas on early Sunday morning with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting high-intensity showers over the National Capital for the next two days.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal cancelled the Sunday leave of all government officials and instructed them to be on the field.
All the schools in Delhi will remain closed on July 10 in view of the incessant rain in the national capital, Mr. Kejriwal has announced.
“In view of the torrential rains in the last two days and keeping in mind the warnings of the meteorological department, all schools will remain closed on Monday,” Mr. Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.
Also read: Torrential monsoon rains create havoc in Himachal Pradesh; rivers in spate in Punjab
“Thunderstorms with light to moderate intensity rain would occur over and adjoining areas of isolated places of Delhi,” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a tweet on July 9.
The IMD has issued a forecast of high-intensity rain for 2-3 days in Delhi.
Delhi recorded 153 mm of rain in 24 hours ending 8:30 a.m. on July 9, the highest in a single day in July since 1982, the IMD said.
An interaction between a western disturbance and monsoonal winds is leading to an intense rainfall spell over northwest India, including Delhi which experienced the season's first "very heavy" rainfall.
The Safdarjung Observatory, the city's primary weather station, recorded 153 mm of rainfall in 24 hours ending 8:30 a.m. on July 9, the highest since the 24-hour rainfall of 169.9 mm on July 25, 1982, a senior IMD official said.
The city logged 133.4 mm of rain on July 10, 2003, and an all-time high of 266.2 mm on July 21, 1958.
Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva visits the site after a wall of a government school collapsed following monsoon rains, in New Delhi on July 9, 2023. | Photo Credit: PTI
The Met Office has issued a yellow alert, warning of moderate rain which could cause more problems to the residents of Delhi.
The weather stations at Ridge, Lodhi Road and Delhi University recorded 134.5 mm, 123.4 mm, and 118 mm of precipitation, respectively.
According to the Met Office, rainfall below 15 mm is considered "light", 15 mm to 64.5 mm is "moderate", 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm is "heavy", and 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm is "very heavy".
Any amount exceeding 204.4 mm is classified as "extremely heavy" rainfall.
The heavy rain submerged parks, underpasses, markets and even hospital premises, and caused chaos on the roads.
Pictures and videos of commuters wading through knee-deep water flooded social media platforms, raising concerns about the efficiency of the city's drainage infrastructure.
Strong winds and showers also caused disruptions in power and internet connectivity in several areas.
Kejriwal cancels govt officials’ Sunday off, asks them to be on field
With heavy rains battering Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has cancelled the Sunday leave of all government officials and instructed them to be on the field.
He also said Delhi Cabinet Ministers and Mayor Shelly Oberoi will be inspecting the “problem areas” in the city.
A man rides his cycle rickshaw with a passenger through a flooded street after heavy rains in New Delhi on July 8, 2023. | Photo Credit: Reuters
In a tweet in Hindi, Mr. Kejriwal said, “Yesterday, Delhi received 126 mm of rainfall. 15% of the total rainfall that Delhi gets every monsoon was received in just 12 hours. People were severely affected due to waterlogging.
“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.
2 injured after house collapses in Delhi’s Zakhira area
Meanwhile, the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) officials on July 9 said two people got injured after a house collapsed in Delhi’s Zakhira area due to heavy rain.
Traffic moves at a slow pace on a waterlogged road following heavy monsoon rains at ITO in New Delhi on July 8, 2023. | Photo Credit: PTI
“The Delhi Fire Service [DFS] received the information about a house collapse at 9:34 a.m. in the Zakhira locality of Delhi on July 9,” added the officials.
They also said that three fire tenders rushed to the spot as soon as the DFS received the information about the incident.
During the search, two people were rescued from the debris, and search for other people is being carried out. “Two persons were taken out and rushed to the hospital. Search for other casualties continues,” said the officials.
Yamuna water level in Delhi may breach danger mark on Tuesday: CWC
The water level in the Yamuna river in Delhi is rising and is expected to breach the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Tuesday, the Central Water Commission (CWC) has said.
According to the CWC’s flood-monitoring portal, the water level in the Yamuna at the Old Railway Bridge stood at 203.18 metres at 1 pm on Sunday. The warning level is 204.5 metres.
The water level is likely to rise to 205.5 metres between 11 am and 1 pm on Tuesday, the CWC said in an advisory.
The catchment of the Yamuna river system covers parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.
The low-lying areas near the river in Delhi are considered vulnerable to flooding and are home to around 37,000 people.
