Delhi rain floods streets, disrupts traffic; IMD issues red alert

Heavy rain flooded parts of Delhi on Friday, disrupting traffic and inundating neighbourhoods as the IMD issued a red alert and forecast more rain through August 10

Heavy rain lashed the national capital on Friday, inundating low-lying areas, disrupting traffic across major roads and leaving several neighbourhoods waterlogged as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for the city.

As rain continued to pour through the day, scenes from south Delhi's Fatehpur Beri captured the scale of the disruption. In Valmiki Basti, while some residents waded through waist-deep water, the others carried schoolchildren across flooded lanes on a large blue plastic sheet used as a makeshift raft.

Residents said the colony has been battling flooding for decades and blamed an incomplete stormwater drain and alleged encroachments downstream for the recurring problem.

 

"This is Valmiki Basti inside Fatehpur Beri village. Several of families are affected whenever it rains. There is a government drain here, but further ahead farmhouse owners have blocked it. We are fighting a legal battle in the Delhi High Court, and the government is also supporting us," Rishipal Mashe, a resident, told PTI.

Residents said the locality has been facing the problem for nearly six decades.

"As you have just seen, nearly five feet of water has filled the entire village. Water has entered all our houses, damaging whatever food and household belongings we had," another local said, adding that the rainwater and sewage from the village currently collect over nearly 70 acres of low-lying land before the natural flow is obstructed further downstream.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said it received complaints of tree fall and waterlogging from across the city following heavy rain on Friday.

According to the civic body's Central Control Room report, tree fall incidents were reported from Keshavpuram, South, Central, West and Civil Lines zones, while complaints of waterlogging were also received during the period. However, the report lists only the locations of tree fall complaints and does not specify the areas affected by waterlogging.

The downpour also brought traffic to a crawl across several arterial roads in the city.

Heavy congestion was reported on the Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, ITO, Wazirabad Road, Patel Road, Rohtak Road, Shankar Road, the Kirti Nagar stretch, the Delhi-Jaipur Highway, Peeragarhi and Shaheen Bagh. Traffic also slowed on GT Road, GTB Enclave and Dilshad Garden in east Delhi.

Waterlogging was reported from Mahipalpur T-Point, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Chhatarpur, Shakarpur, Dakshinpuri, Okhla, Sangam Vihar, Sainik Farms and areas around the Red Fort. At Mahipalpur T-Point, inundated roads affected traffic moving towards the airport, Gurugram, Chhatarpur and Vasant Vihar, while commuters also faced long delays near the Pusa Road roundabout.

Visuals from Chhatarpur showed students wading through knee-deep water as vehicles crawled through submerged stretches of the Mehrauli-Badarpur Road.

In east Delhi's Shakarpur and neighbouring Mandawali, e-rickshaw drivers said overflowing drains, submerged potholes and waterlogged roads had led to accidents and hurt their livelihoods.

"There are many difficulties. Potholes get submerged and sewer pits cannot be seen. At least three or four vehicles have overturned today, including e-rickshaws, scooters and motorcycles," an e-rickshaw driver said.

Alleging that drains in the area were poorly designed and clogged with debris, he said water failed to drain quickly after every spell of rain.

"Our earnings have fallen sharply. If we earlier earned Rs 600 in a day, now we earn Rs 200 or Rs 300. Water enters the battery. If an e-rickshaw overturns, especially one with a lithium battery, the loss can be Rs 60,000 to Rs 80,000," he said.

The IMD issued a red alert for Delhi, forecasting moderate rain at many places and heavy rain at isolated locations accompanied by moderate thunderstorms and lightning over the next few hours.

According to the weather office, Safdarjung recorded 59.2 mm of rainfall till 8.30 am, while Lodhi Road received 60.4 mm, Ridge 57 mm, Ayanagar 26.2 mm and Palam 16.9 mm.

The IMD has forecast light to moderate rainfall over Delhi till August 10.