Delhi residents wade through civic woes after overnight downpour
New Delhi
Heavy overnight rain disrupted life across Delhi on Sunday, leading to extensive waterlogging, outages, flight delays, and infrastructure damage in several parts of the Capital. The downpour, accompanied by strong winds, also brought the maximum temperature down to 31.8 degrees Celsius – 8.6 degrees Celsius below normal, offering a temporary break from the heat.
The city's main weather station at Safdarjung recorded 81.2 mm of rainfall between 11:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m., with wind speeds reaching up to 82 km/h. The incessant rain resulted in waterlogging near Delhi airport, the underpasses at Zakhira, ITO, Azadpur Market, and Rohtak Road.
At two underpasses – Minto Bridge and Delhi Cantonment– vehicles were seen submerged. Officials from the Public Works Department (PWD) confirmed that a junior engineer and a pump operator responsible for managing the Minto Bridge underpass, one of seven designated waterlogging hotspots, would be suspended. The supervising assistant engineer will receive a show-cause notice for delays in response.
Airport damage
Operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport were also hit. Flightradar24, a flight tracking service, reported that around 180 flights were delayed and several were cancelled. Waterlogging was reported inside Terminal 3, and a section of the tensile fabric roof outside the domestic terminal collapsed under the weight of accumulated rainwater. 'There was no structural compromise or impact on other parts of the terminal,' an airport official said.
The rain and strong winds disrupted the electricity supply in Bawana, Ghogha village, Sector 25 Rohini, DSIIDC Narela, Sultanpuri, Sector 22 Rohini, Karala, Badli, Siraspur, Avantika, Mangolpuri, RU Block Pitampura, and Rithala village, said a spokesperson of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited.
Political fallout
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh of being absent during the crisis. 'Just one spell of rain and Delhi is drowning under this four-engine BJP government,' said senior AAP leader Atishi, sharing photos of submerged vehicles at Minto Bridge.
AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj said, 'Delhi is completely waterlogged, yet the Minister is missing'.
Bharatiya Janata Party's Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva said that under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's directions, the party's MLAs, councillors, and civic officials mobilised early Sunday to clear trees and drain water from critical junctions. 'By noon, the situation was largely under control,' he claimed.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast 'very light' to 'light' rainfall for five of the next six days.
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