NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency has a life-saving operation to its credit, thanks to 51-year-old Sanjeev Singh, an IPS officer on special duty.
Around 10.45am on Friday, Mamta Pant, 23, was walking to office from the Jia Sarai bus stand. Singh was heading to work in a car, and noticed the girl walking on the road, wading in some 6-7 inches of water.
The next moment, all he could see was "her hair and umbrella floating in muddy water". She had plunged into an open ditch. Singh jumped out of the car and pulled Pant out by her hair. I could not even cry out or find footing to reach out of the hole. "If it hadn't been for him, my body would have been found after a few days, said Pant.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
When roads became waterways (Times of India 09 September 2011)
NEW DELHI: With seven vital intersections flooded within hours on Friday, the capital was locked in a traffic gridlock for the better part of the day. Peak-hour traffic was badly hit, both in the morning and evening, but there was little respite otherwise too. Major jams were reported from all across the city and commuters had horror stories to tell, one surpassing the other. People spent hours on the road over distances which usually take one-third of the time.
The key reason for life in the capital getting derailed was the flooding of Salimgarh bypass that connects north Delhi with the rest of the city; Moolchand underpass and Ashram Chowk connecting areas of south Delhi; Tilak Bridge that connects crossover traffic from all over the city; Bhairon Road and Vikas Marg underneath IP flyover that connect east Delhi with the rest of the city; and Naraina Chowk which gives access to west Delhi.
"Even a few minutes of traffic getting stalled at these key points result in traffic congestion. With these key links getting cut off, there were spiralling jams on other roads and massive pile-ups. Waterlogging elsewhere and breaking down of vehicles only added to the mess. We tried to make the best of an impossible situation," said joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg.
There was massive waterlogging under Salimgarh bypass. Being an arterial road giving access to north Delhi, it had a spiralling effect with massive jams reported from all across north Delhi. Traffic movement was also affected at Rajghat on Ring Road, IP College, Shyamlal College, Guru Nanak Chowk, Rani Jhansi Road and Boulevard Road.
In the east, the worst-hit, perhaps, was IP flyover with water accumulating underneath on Vikas Marg that wasn't cleared till late on Friday evening, causing the stretch to be closed for traffic moving from central to east Delhi. The Laxmi Nagar underpass remained flooded till late at night.
East Delhi was virtually cut off from the city with both Vikas Marg and Bhairon Road near the zoo heavily waterlogged. "The tail of traffic stretched as far back as NH-24 and there was little movement in front of Akshardham. Commuters going from east Delhi towards south and central Delhi edged forward inch by inch till mid-afternoon. The pile-up was massive," said a senior traffic police officer.
Ashram Chowk, too, was waterlogged, bringing traffic on Mathura Road to a halt. "As traffic was not allowed to turn underneath the flyover, the tail on either side stretched to more than a kilometre. Even the traffic crossing over the Chowk on the flyover was stuck in the jam. The Moolchand underpass was once again under water, adding to the mayhem," explained a senior traffic police officer.
As a result, traffic on Ring Road and Mathura Road remained congested all through the day, causing jams all over south Delhi for hours in the morning and afternoon. Geeta Balakrishan, a civil servant, said, "I was rushing for a meeting at Chanakyapuri. I was to reach at 11am and left two hours early, hoping that I would reach in time, but I had just about inched my way through to Amar Colony when I got into the middle of a two-and-a-half hour jam. It was terrible."
Heavy jams were reported from DND flyover, Maharani Bagh, Kalindi Kunj, Malviya Nagar Road, Chhatta Rail and Yusuf Sarai Road. The commuters as a result used colony roads in Defence Colony, Greater Kailash I and II, Chittaranjan Park and South Extension.
With the annual nightmare of Tilak Bridge going under water being repeated, crossover traffic from all parts of Delhi was affected.
Traffic in west Delhi was thrown out of gear with Naraina Chowk getting flooded. "Vehicles could not exit Ring Road from Naraina. There was a jam from Raja Garden to Dhaula Kuan as a result, " said a senior traffic police officer. Mayapuri Cowk and Rajouri Garden too were waterlogged.
The key reason for life in the capital getting derailed was the flooding of Salimgarh bypass that connects north Delhi with the rest of the city; Moolchand underpass and Ashram Chowk connecting areas of south Delhi; Tilak Bridge that connects crossover traffic from all over the city; Bhairon Road and Vikas Marg underneath IP flyover that connect east Delhi with the rest of the city; and Naraina Chowk which gives access to west Delhi.
"Even a few minutes of traffic getting stalled at these key points result in traffic congestion. With these key links getting cut off, there were spiralling jams on other roads and massive pile-ups. Waterlogging elsewhere and breaking down of vehicles only added to the mess. We tried to make the best of an impossible situation," said joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg.
There was massive waterlogging under Salimgarh bypass. Being an arterial road giving access to north Delhi, it had a spiralling effect with massive jams reported from all across north Delhi. Traffic movement was also affected at Rajghat on Ring Road, IP College, Shyamlal College, Guru Nanak Chowk, Rani Jhansi Road and Boulevard Road.
In the east, the worst-hit, perhaps, was IP flyover with water accumulating underneath on Vikas Marg that wasn't cleared till late on Friday evening, causing the stretch to be closed for traffic moving from central to east Delhi. The Laxmi Nagar underpass remained flooded till late at night.
East Delhi was virtually cut off from the city with both Vikas Marg and Bhairon Road near the zoo heavily waterlogged. "The tail of traffic stretched as far back as NH-24 and there was little movement in front of Akshardham. Commuters going from east Delhi towards south and central Delhi edged forward inch by inch till mid-afternoon. The pile-up was massive," said a senior traffic police officer.
Ashram Chowk, too, was waterlogged, bringing traffic on Mathura Road to a halt. "As traffic was not allowed to turn underneath the flyover, the tail on either side stretched to more than a kilometre. Even the traffic crossing over the Chowk on the flyover was stuck in the jam. The Moolchand underpass was once again under water, adding to the mayhem," explained a senior traffic police officer.
As a result, traffic on Ring Road and Mathura Road remained congested all through the day, causing jams all over south Delhi for hours in the morning and afternoon. Geeta Balakrishan, a civil servant, said, "I was rushing for a meeting at Chanakyapuri. I was to reach at 11am and left two hours early, hoping that I would reach in time, but I had just about inched my way through to Amar Colony when I got into the middle of a two-and-a-half hour jam. It was terrible."
Heavy jams were reported from DND flyover, Maharani Bagh, Kalindi Kunj, Malviya Nagar Road, Chhatta Rail and Yusuf Sarai Road. The commuters as a result used colony roads in Defence Colony, Greater Kailash I and II, Chittaranjan Park and South Extension.
With the annual nightmare of Tilak Bridge going under water being repeated, crossover traffic from all parts of Delhi was affected.
Traffic in west Delhi was thrown out of gear with Naraina Chowk getting flooded. "Vehicles could not exit Ring Road from Naraina. There was a jam from Raja Garden to Dhaula Kuan as a result, " said a senior traffic police officer. Mayapuri Cowk and Rajouri Garden too were waterlogged.
City almost makes up for rain deficit (Times of India 09 September 2011)
NEW DELHI: The tsunami everybody joked about during Wednesday night's quake finally hit the city on Friday morning. As the capital woke up to one of the heaviest September showers - totalling 96.1 mm rainfall since 4am on Friday - in a decade, roads and underpasses went under water at the height of rush hour. For most residents accustomed to a difficult drive to office, the morning commute became a nightmare without end. While drivers were caught inside their cars for hours, those who use buses were stranded as 200 DTC buses broke down.
Many of the morning commuters made it to office only by the afternoon. Preet Vihar resident Sanjana Joshi, who set off for her Gurgaon office at 9.30 am, reached after 3 pm. "It took three-and-a-half hours just to reach AIIMS as cars would stop moving after every few metres. I decided to leave my car in office overnight and take the Metro home as I can't face such traffic again,'' she said. The severest flooding was reported from some of the busiest road stretches, such as Rajghat, ITO, Kashmere Gate, Ring Road, Akshardham, Nizamuddin bridge, Sarai Kale Khan, Vikas Marg, Moolchand, Greater Kailash-I and Defence Colony.
The heaviest downpour was recorded between 5am and noon, though it kept raining till late afternoon. Between 4am and 5.30 pm, the city had recorded 90.1 mm rainfall, the second highest for a 24-hour period in September since 2000. September 13, 2002 was wetter with 126.8 mm rainfall. However, the month's all-time high was recorded on September 16, 1904, when 176.5 mm rain fell. The Met office predicted more rain through Friday night with the intensity coming down on Saturday. Met officials said rainfall in the past week had been exceptionally good over the city, several parts of which were witnessing a severe deficiency. The heavy rain brought down the minimum temperature to an average 25.1 degrees Celsius but the maximum was below average at 28 degrees. Humidity remained high with the maximum at 98% and the minimum at 89%.
Friday's heavy rain has almost wiped out the season's overall shortfall. Till 8.30am on Friday, 514 mm rain had been recorded at the Safdarjung observatory, counting from June 1. This is only 68mm below the season's normal. With 60.6mm recorded after 8.30am, the deficit is now negligible. At Palam, where the deficiency till Thursday was more than 100mm, the shortfall now is only 67 mm.
Of the 574mm rain recorded at the Safdarjung observatory till 8.30pm on Friday, September itself has contributed 182 mm so far till 5.30pm on Friday. In fact, since the monsoon broke over Delhi, only seven days have contributed to over half of the total 300 mm. Met officials have said northwest India, including Delhi, usually sees a lot of rain in September even though this is the month when the monsoon system starts withdrawing from the country, starting with west Rajasthan.
BP Yadav, director of the Met office, said: "The heavy rain over northwest India is due to interaction between a western disturbance and the monsoon system. Alow pressure area exists over Jharkhand because of which strong easterly winds carrying moisture from Bay of Bengal are blowing into northwest India. Simultaneously, a low pressure area exists over south Pakistan adjoining Rajasthan. A confluence of the two systems has formed over Haryana and it is their interaction that has brought so much rain."
Many of the morning commuters made it to office only by the afternoon. Preet Vihar resident Sanjana Joshi, who set off for her Gurgaon office at 9.30 am, reached after 3 pm. "It took three-and-a-half hours just to reach AIIMS as cars would stop moving after every few metres. I decided to leave my car in office overnight and take the Metro home as I can't face such traffic again,'' she said. The severest flooding was reported from some of the busiest road stretches, such as Rajghat, ITO, Kashmere Gate, Ring Road, Akshardham, Nizamuddin bridge, Sarai Kale Khan, Vikas Marg, Moolchand, Greater Kailash-I and Defence Colony.
The heaviest downpour was recorded between 5am and noon, though it kept raining till late afternoon. Between 4am and 5.30 pm, the city had recorded 90.1 mm rainfall, the second highest for a 24-hour period in September since 2000. September 13, 2002 was wetter with 126.8 mm rainfall. However, the month's all-time high was recorded on September 16, 1904, when 176.5 mm rain fell. The Met office predicted more rain through Friday night with the intensity coming down on Saturday. Met officials said rainfall in the past week had been exceptionally good over the city, several parts of which were witnessing a severe deficiency. The heavy rain brought down the minimum temperature to an average 25.1 degrees Celsius but the maximum was below average at 28 degrees. Humidity remained high with the maximum at 98% and the minimum at 89%.
Friday's heavy rain has almost wiped out the season's overall shortfall. Till 8.30am on Friday, 514 mm rain had been recorded at the Safdarjung observatory, counting from June 1. This is only 68mm below the season's normal. With 60.6mm recorded after 8.30am, the deficit is now negligible. At Palam, where the deficiency till Thursday was more than 100mm, the shortfall now is only 67 mm.
Of the 574mm rain recorded at the Safdarjung observatory till 8.30pm on Friday, September itself has contributed 182 mm so far till 5.30pm on Friday. In fact, since the monsoon broke over Delhi, only seven days have contributed to over half of the total 300 mm. Met officials have said northwest India, including Delhi, usually sees a lot of rain in September even though this is the month when the monsoon system starts withdrawing from the country, starting with west Rajasthan.
BP Yadav, director of the Met office, said: "The heavy rain over northwest India is due to interaction between a western disturbance and the monsoon system. Alow pressure area exists over Jharkhand because of which strong easterly winds carrying moisture from Bay of Bengal are blowing into northwest India. Simultaneously, a low pressure area exists over south Pakistan adjoining Rajasthan. A confluence of the two systems has formed over Haryana and it is their interaction that has brought so much rain."
Flyers and airline crew reach airport late (Times of India 09 September 2011)
NEW DELHI: Traffic jams across the city following Friday's heavy downpour affected airline schedules and flyers alike. Many passengers couldn't make it to the IGI Airport on time and missed their flights. Several crew members of different airlines were also caught in traffic jams, which resulted in flight delays of 10 to 20 minutes.
"My friend had to catch a flight to Mumbai around 11am and set out from his home in Nirman Vihar; but when he saw that there was no way he could make it on time by road, he boarded the IGI Metro at 10am. This didn't help as he reached terminal 3 at 10.30pm and was refused a boarding pass. After hearing his story, I left home for the airport at 10.30 as I, too, had a flight to catch at 2pm. But still, I reached only a few minutes before 2pm and missed my flight," said Tarun Mehta, a businessman.
The airport recorded 64.3mm rain overnight and another 3.6mm rain through the day. Director in-charge of IGI Met, RK Jenamani, said that visibility fell twice: once between 5am and 8am when it went down to 800m, and again in the afternoon when it reached 1,500m.
"Palam and Gurgaon Road saw very heavy rain. There were periods since Thursday night when the airport witnessed rain, strong winds and CV clouds because of which aircraft might have faced some problems," he said.
Airport sources said that for a large part of the day, mixed operations had to be suspended and the main and new runways were used for segregated operations. "The new runway was used for arrivals and the main runway was used for departures. Since wind direction had changed, the arrivals were from the Dwarka side. This led to a slight delay in all operations. Aircraft were also getting deviated from their set routes due to strong winds," said an official.
Sources said there was waterlogging in several patches in and around the airport. With the new tunnel road leading to terminal 3 waterlogged for several hours, passengers who finally managed to get to the airport and were using that route had to turn back and go via the main highway because of which they got stuck in another jam. Sources said that for over two hours, only one side of the tunnel road could be used and all incoming traffic had to be stopped.
"My friend had to catch a flight to Mumbai around 11am and set out from his home in Nirman Vihar; but when he saw that there was no way he could make it on time by road, he boarded the IGI Metro at 10am. This didn't help as he reached terminal 3 at 10.30pm and was refused a boarding pass. After hearing his story, I left home for the airport at 10.30 as I, too, had a flight to catch at 2pm. But still, I reached only a few minutes before 2pm and missed my flight," said Tarun Mehta, a businessman.
The airport recorded 64.3mm rain overnight and another 3.6mm rain through the day. Director in-charge of IGI Met, RK Jenamani, said that visibility fell twice: once between 5am and 8am when it went down to 800m, and again in the afternoon when it reached 1,500m.
"Palam and Gurgaon Road saw very heavy rain. There were periods since Thursday night when the airport witnessed rain, strong winds and CV clouds because of which aircraft might have faced some problems," he said.
Airport sources said that for a large part of the day, mixed operations had to be suspended and the main and new runways were used for segregated operations. "The new runway was used for arrivals and the main runway was used for departures. Since wind direction had changed, the arrivals were from the Dwarka side. This led to a slight delay in all operations. Aircraft were also getting deviated from their set routes due to strong winds," said an official.
Sources said there was waterlogging in several patches in and around the airport. With the new tunnel road leading to terminal 3 waterlogged for several hours, passengers who finally managed to get to the airport and were using that route had to turn back and go via the main highway because of which they got stuck in another jam. Sources said that for over two hours, only one side of the tunnel road could be used and all incoming traffic had to be stopped.
19 houses collapse, rain water floods homes in city (Times of India 09 September 2011)
NEW DELHI: Friday’s incessant downpour resulted in water entering homes and shops in areas like Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Gagan Vihar, Lalita Park and Laxmi Nagar. Water even seeped into basements in these areas. People complained that due to the heavy downpour on Friday knee-deep water had collected on the streets and main roads. Almost every household reported damage to furniture and other items. The MCD received 19 complaints of building collapse from across the city.
“All the sewer lines in our block were flooded. We contacted Delhi Jal Board officials but nobody responded,” said Paramjeet Kaur, who lives in C block of Defence Colony. She added that whenever it rains, the houses adjacent to main drain in the colony get flooded. Ashok Mehta, who lives in Lajpat Nagar, said similar problems were faced by resident in his area too. “The basements of many shops in central market were flooded. Traders suffered financial losses as costly items stored there got damaged,” he added.
Ishrat Akram, who lives in Gagan Vihar, said many east Delhi residents complained of water entering their homes. “Though my house is built on higher ground, our whole driveway was flooded with rainwater today. Even drains in the area are overflowing, leaving no recognizable difference between the drain and road,” she said. MCD officials said that in many areas people have built concrete structures in the middle of the drainage system leading to waterlogging in those areas.
“All the sewer lines in our block were flooded. We contacted Delhi Jal Board officials but nobody responded,” said Paramjeet Kaur, who lives in C block of Defence Colony. She added that whenever it rains, the houses adjacent to main drain in the colony get flooded. Ashok Mehta, who lives in Lajpat Nagar, said similar problems were faced by resident in his area too. “The basements of many shops in central market were flooded. Traders suffered financial losses as costly items stored there got damaged,” he added.
Ishrat Akram, who lives in Gagan Vihar, said many east Delhi residents complained of water entering their homes. “Though my house is built on higher ground, our whole driveway was flooded with rainwater today. Even drains in the area are overflowing, leaving no recognizable difference between the drain and road,” she said. MCD officials said that in many areas people have built concrete structures in the middle of the drainage system leading to waterlogging in those areas.
Even Games showpieces sink (Times of India 09 September 2011)
NEW DELHI: Friday's downpour proved that even engineering marvels showcased by the Delhi government during the Commonwealth Games are vulnerable. Tall claims by town planners fell flat when the Ring Road bypass linking Salimgarh Fort to IGI stadium near ITO was flooded for several hours, triggering a three-km bumper-to-bumper jam on the stretch. Public Works Department officials, however, said unprecedented rain had sparked the crisis. Even the area outside Jungpura metro station that was built before the Games was waterlogged.
"There was knee-deep water on the elevated road near Salimgarh Fort, below the old railway bridge. A DTC bus going towards Rajghat broke down in the middle of the road, triggering more traffic jams," said Rajeev Mehta, a trader. He said the elevated road was constructed last year and flooding of the stretch reflects poorly on our engineers and town planners. What's even more shocking, the ITO underpass was waterlogged till late on Friday, several hours after the rain had stopped.
"Unlike other roads, the Ring Road bypass was a new project. It was built at a cost of Rs 650 crore and already cracks are showing. The drainage system has crashed and there are no alternative arrangements to flush out water to ensure smooth traffic flow," he said. The Ring Road bypass was built to ensure signal-free movement of traffic from north-to-south and south-to-north Delhi from Salimgarh to IGI stadium near ITO.
"The pumps proved ineffective in the face of heavy rain. Last year, there was no such problem," said a PWD official. Another shocking example of poor engineering was the stretch near the Jangpura Metro station, which was built before the Games to enable spectators to reach the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium. On Friday, people had to cross through knee-deep water to reach the main road. "I paid a rickshaw-wallah extra money to take me to the other side," said Rashmi Pandit, a resident of Jungpura.
Moolchand flyover, one of the vulnerable waterlogging points, remained submerged for several hours on Friday. Traffic was diverted. Similar problems were witnessed at the AIIMS underpass and main flyover. MCD claimed that lack of planning to drain out water on the flyovers led to traffic jams. "PWD and other agencies that have built the flyover did not plan for drainage," said Mayor Rajni Abbi
"There was knee-deep water on the elevated road near Salimgarh Fort, below the old railway bridge. A DTC bus going towards Rajghat broke down in the middle of the road, triggering more traffic jams," said Rajeev Mehta, a trader. He said the elevated road was constructed last year and flooding of the stretch reflects poorly on our engineers and town planners. What's even more shocking, the ITO underpass was waterlogged till late on Friday, several hours after the rain had stopped.
"Unlike other roads, the Ring Road bypass was a new project. It was built at a cost of Rs 650 crore and already cracks are showing. The drainage system has crashed and there are no alternative arrangements to flush out water to ensure smooth traffic flow," he said. The Ring Road bypass was built to ensure signal-free movement of traffic from north-to-south and south-to-north Delhi from Salimgarh to IGI stadium near ITO.
"The pumps proved ineffective in the face of heavy rain. Last year, there was no such problem," said a PWD official. Another shocking example of poor engineering was the stretch near the Jangpura Metro station, which was built before the Games to enable spectators to reach the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium. On Friday, people had to cross through knee-deep water to reach the main road. "I paid a rickshaw-wallah extra money to take me to the other side," said Rashmi Pandit, a resident of Jungpura.
Moolchand flyover, one of the vulnerable waterlogging points, remained submerged for several hours on Friday. Traffic was diverted. Similar problems were witnessed at the AIIMS underpass and main flyover. MCD claimed that lack of planning to drain out water on the flyovers led to traffic jams. "PWD and other agencies that have built the flyover did not plan for drainage," said Mayor Rajni Abbi
One downpour, Delhi comes to a halt (Hindu 09 September 2011)
Heavy rain on Friday morning brought life in the Capital to a standstill with water-logged roads causing massive jams across the city, leaving thousands of fuming commuters stranded.
According to the Meteorological Department, the city received 36.1 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours up to 8-30 a.m. and 60.6 mm between 8-30 a.m. and 5-30 p.m.
Almost all major areas in the city saw huge traffic jams due to water-logging from ITO to Patparganj flyover, Defence Colony flyover, Lala Lajpat Rai Marg, GTB Road, Vikas Marg, Mayapuri intersection, Naraina, Indraprastha flyover, Kalindi Kunj, Malviya Nagar, Yusuf Sarai, Adhchini, Africa Avenue, Ring Road, DND flyover, sections of Maharani Bagh, Moolchand underpass, Ashram, M. B. Road, Saket Court, Lado Sarai T-point, Nehru Place, Tilak Bridge, Mathura Road T-point , Purana Qila Road, Pragati Maidan, Shahadra underpass, CGO complex, Shanti Van, Akshardham temple, Geeta Colony and Chungi underpass.
“With all major roads in the city water-logged, it was very difficult to manage traffic. This is the most difficult situation I have seen in the past two years,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg, adding that alternative routes were also water-logged, making it difficult to divert traffic. Traffic movement remained slow at several stretches until well after 9 p.m. The heavy showers led to the death of a minor girl when a boundary wall of a Municipal Corporation of Delhi health centre in Gautam Colony, Narela, collapsed around 7-30 a.m. Commuters also complained of traffic lights not working at several places, in addition to bad road conditions and falling trees, which further impaired road travel. The MCD received 17 complaints of fallen trees and 183 of water-logging on Friday. Traffic was also affected at some places because of Delhi University Student Union elections.
While subscribed users received regular traffic updates from Delhi Traffic Police's SMS service, commuters complained of little or no traffic police presence at several congested stretches like Saket. The attempt to negotiate nearly knee deep water in several places also led to vehicles, including buses, breaking down in the middle of the road, causing further slowdown.
“Water-logging at the Chungi underpass on Vikas Marg led to complete traffic chaos in East Delhi. Incessant rain led to accumulation of water in the underpass leading from Akshardham Temple towards Geeta Colony. Even ITO-bound vehicles were stuck near the Akshardham Temple,” said Loveleen Bhatnagar, who was stuck in traffic near the Akshardham Temple for over an hour.
This underpass was, in fact, one of the showcase projects of the Delhi Government's Public Works Department in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games. It has experienced similar instances of acute water-logging in the past, but no lessons on improving the drainage or installing pump sets to remove the water have been learnt.
Manager with a communications firm, Varun Sharma said: “It took me one-and-a-half hour to cover 4 km from AIIMS towards Lajpat Nagar. Things improved after the Moolchand underpass, but DND to Lajpat Nagar stretch was also jammed.”
Most people went back home or took the Delhi Metro to commute, avoiding roads completely wherever possible. Services on Delhi Metro's Dilshad Garden-Rithala Line (Red Line) were also affected for around three hours from 11-30 a.m. between Shastri Park and Seelampur, where the metro runs at ground level. Bus commuters said water gushed into buses at heavily water-logged places.
Even on social networking site Twitter, “Delhi Rains” was one of the most talked about subjects during the day. Comparisons with Mumbai's rain woes were also abundant, questioning the inability of Delhi to deal with even one downpour.
According to the Meteorological Department, the city received 36.1 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours up to 8-30 a.m. and 60.6 mm between 8-30 a.m. and 5-30 p.m.
Almost all major areas in the city saw huge traffic jams due to water-logging from ITO to Patparganj flyover, Defence Colony flyover, Lala Lajpat Rai Marg, GTB Road, Vikas Marg, Mayapuri intersection, Naraina, Indraprastha flyover, Kalindi Kunj, Malviya Nagar, Yusuf Sarai, Adhchini, Africa Avenue, Ring Road, DND flyover, sections of Maharani Bagh, Moolchand underpass, Ashram, M. B. Road, Saket Court, Lado Sarai T-point, Nehru Place, Tilak Bridge, Mathura Road T-point , Purana Qila Road, Pragati Maidan, Shahadra underpass, CGO complex, Shanti Van, Akshardham temple, Geeta Colony and Chungi underpass.
“With all major roads in the city water-logged, it was very difficult to manage traffic. This is the most difficult situation I have seen in the past two years,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg, adding that alternative routes were also water-logged, making it difficult to divert traffic. Traffic movement remained slow at several stretches until well after 9 p.m. The heavy showers led to the death of a minor girl when a boundary wall of a Municipal Corporation of Delhi health centre in Gautam Colony, Narela, collapsed around 7-30 a.m. Commuters also complained of traffic lights not working at several places, in addition to bad road conditions and falling trees, which further impaired road travel. The MCD received 17 complaints of fallen trees and 183 of water-logging on Friday. Traffic was also affected at some places because of Delhi University Student Union elections.
While subscribed users received regular traffic updates from Delhi Traffic Police's SMS service, commuters complained of little or no traffic police presence at several congested stretches like Saket. The attempt to negotiate nearly knee deep water in several places also led to vehicles, including buses, breaking down in the middle of the road, causing further slowdown.
“Water-logging at the Chungi underpass on Vikas Marg led to complete traffic chaos in East Delhi. Incessant rain led to accumulation of water in the underpass leading from Akshardham Temple towards Geeta Colony. Even ITO-bound vehicles were stuck near the Akshardham Temple,” said Loveleen Bhatnagar, who was stuck in traffic near the Akshardham Temple for over an hour.
This underpass was, in fact, one of the showcase projects of the Delhi Government's Public Works Department in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games. It has experienced similar instances of acute water-logging in the past, but no lessons on improving the drainage or installing pump sets to remove the water have been learnt.
Manager with a communications firm, Varun Sharma said: “It took me one-and-a-half hour to cover 4 km from AIIMS towards Lajpat Nagar. Things improved after the Moolchand underpass, but DND to Lajpat Nagar stretch was also jammed.”
Most people went back home or took the Delhi Metro to commute, avoiding roads completely wherever possible. Services on Delhi Metro's Dilshad Garden-Rithala Line (Red Line) were also affected for around three hours from 11-30 a.m. between Shastri Park and Seelampur, where the metro runs at ground level. Bus commuters said water gushed into buses at heavily water-logged places.
Even on social networking site Twitter, “Delhi Rains” was one of the most talked about subjects during the day. Comparisons with Mumbai's rain woes were also abundant, questioning the inability of Delhi to deal with even one downpour.
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