IMD issues red alert for parts of Delhi-NCR, heavy rain causes waterlogging, traffic disruptions

Indian Express

5 days ago

Heavy rain lashed Delhi and large parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) on Wednesday morning, hitting arterial roads and creating chaos during peak-hour traffic. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Northeast and Southeast Delhi-NCR at 8.40 am, warning of moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds reaching speeds of up to 40 kmph. The alert is valid until 10.40 am.
Areas under red alert include Preet Vihar, Shahdara, Seelampur, Vivek Vihar, Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad, Palwal, Hodal, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, and Mathura. Other regions, such as Northwest and Southwest Delhi, along with nearby areas of Haryana and Rajasthan, remain under an orange alert, with a forecast of light to moderate rain and gusty winds.
The sudden escalation came just over an hour after IMD issued an orange alert for the entire Delhi-NCR region in the IMD's nowcast bulletin at 7.30 am. As the rainfall intensified in the following hour, the department upgraded the alert level for several eastern and southern parts of the city.
Earlier, at 8 am, IMD predicted moderate to heavy rainfall over the central and southern parts of Delhi, including Karawal Nagar, Civil Lines, Akshardham, India Gate, Lajpat Nagar, Kalkaji, Chhattarpur, and areas around Safdarjung, Rajeev Chowk, and RK Puram. In NCR, areas such as Noida, Greater Noida, Indirapuram, Dadri, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, and Ballabhgarh were also listed.
The highest rainfall during the early morning period was logged at Pragati Maidan (16.6 mm), followed by Pusa (10.0 mm) and Ridge (10.4 mm). Delhi's base station at Safdarjung, which provides the official city readings for national records, recorded 5.6 mm of rainfall during this period.
The IMD, in its impact forecast, indicated that the rain could lead to 'localised flooding of roads, waterlogging in low-lying areas and closure of underpasses.' It also warned of 'occasional reduction in visibility due to heavy rainfall' and 'disruption of traffic in some areas due to waterlogging in roads, leading to increased travel time.'
The bulletin added that 'traffic congestion and slippery roads due to the heavy rain spell and waterlogging' are also likely. IMD further cautioned about possible 'damage to plantation, horticulture and standing crops,' as well as 'partial damage to vulnerable structures' and 'minor damage to kutcha houses, walls and huts.'
Despite the heavy rainfall, IMD's seven-day forecast issued on Tuesday night had not flagged any significant warnings for July 23. It had predicted generally cloudy skies with light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms or lightning.
Daytime temperatures are expected to hover between 30 and 32 degrees Celsius, providing a brief respite from the July heat. Further rainfall is likely in the coming days, although no new alerts have been issued yet beyond Wednesday morning's nowcast.