New Delhi, Aug. 1: Torrential downpours on Wednesday night have caused severe disruption across Delhi-NCR, leading to waterlogging, traffic chaos, and tragic fatalities, reported the NDTV.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert, advising residents to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel.
The unprecedented rainfall prompted the IMD to declare a red alert, warning of potential hazards and urging residents to secure their homes.
Delhi Education Minister Atishi announced that all schools in the city would remain closed on August 1 due to the severe weather conditions.
Massive traffic jams were reported not only in Delhi but also on the Delhi-Noida Expressway. Commuters on the Mehrauli-Chhattarpur road faced over 1.5-hour delays due to heavy rain.
Long queues of vehicles were also seen on the DND Flyway from Noida to Delhi’s Moolchand, exacerbating the traffic situation.
Roads in Lutyens’ Delhi and routes leading to Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad experienced severe congestion. In Old Rajinder Nagar, knee-deep water submerged the area where students were protesting the deaths of three UPSC aspirants in a flooded coaching institute basement. Connaught Place saw flooding in several showrooms and restaurants.
In Ghazipur, Tanuja and her three-year-old son Priyansh tragically drowned after slipping into a waterlogged drain near Khoda Colony.
In North Delhi’s Sabzi Mandi area, a house collapsed near Robin Cinema, injuring one person. Meanwhile, in Vasant Kunj, a woman sustained injuries from a wall collapse due to the heavy rains.
In Noida, several underpasses were flooded overnight, and a wall collapse resulted in two fatalities. Additionally, three people were electrocuted in Gurugram’s IFFCO Chowk after a faulty wire fell onto a waterlogged road.
Air traffic was heavily disrupted, with at least 10 flights to Delhi diverted to Jaipur and Lucknow. Airlines have warned of further potential disruptions due to the ongoing weather conditions.
At Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, display boards indicated on-time flights, but passengers were informed verbally about delays after entering the gates.
This severe weather event has highlighted the vulnerability of Delhi-NCR’s infrastructure to extreme weather conditions, raising concerns about future preparedness and response measures.
