NEW DELHI: Heavy monsoon rain lashed Delhi on Tuesday, triggering widespread waterlogging, flooding parts of major markets and disrupting traffic across the national capital.Civic agencies received at least 136 complaints related to waterlogging, fallen trees and power outages and deployed emergency teams to restore normalcy, news agency PTI reported.The rain also sparked a fresh political row between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP over Delhi’s preparedness for the monsoon.According to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), its central control room received 36 complaints between 2pm and 6pm, including 20 related to waterlogging and 16 concerning fallen trees.The civic body also received five complaints about dangerous buildings.The complaints came from areas under the MCD, Public Works Department (PWD) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), including Paschim Vihar West, Okhla Phase II, Vasant Kunj, Laxmi Nagar, Safdarjung Enclave, Daryaganj, Mayapuri, Punjabi Bagh, Rohini and Dwarka.According to a PTI report, field staff, sanitary inspectors and supervisory officials were deployed to clear waterlogged roads, remove fallen trees and facilitate traffic movement, the MCD said.
Markets flooded, traffic slows across Delhi
Several commercial areas were affected as rainwater accumulated on roads and entered shops.In Sadar Bazar, one of Delhi’s largest wholesale markets, knee-deep water flooded narrow lanes, forcing residents and schoolchildren to wade through murky water and floating garbage.Rainwater entered several shops, disrupting business and prompting some establishments to shut for the day.Sadar Bazar Traders’ Association president Paramjit Singh Pamma said the market remained waterlogged until evening.He said repeated flooding was damaging goods ahead of the festive season, with Janmashtami, Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day approaching.Connaught Place and the adjoining Janpath market also witnessed waterlogging.According to the New Delhi Traders’ Association, G Block, A Block and parts of the Outer Circle remained flooded, affecting commercial activity until around 1pm, PTI reported.The area had only recently fully reopened following restrictions imposed during last week’s protests.In Rajendra Nagar, a major coaching hub, several roads were submerged, with cars, motorcycles and autorickshaws partially underwater.The flooding revived memories of the July 2024 incident in which three civil services aspirants died after rainwater entered the basement of a coaching centre.Traffic moved slowly across several parts of the city.Major congestion was reported on NH-09 near the Ghazipur Border, while traffic snarls were also witnessed at ITO, Azadpur, Malviya Nagar, Prahladpur and Kalindi Kunj.Waterlogging was reported from Tolstoy Marg, Bharat Mandapam Road, Hanuman Road, Malviya Nagar and Mathura Road near ITO.Office-goers were seen waiting at bus stops amid knee-deep water.
PWD, NDMC activate emergency response teams
A PWD official said the department received around 60 complaints of waterlogging, most of which were resolved within an hour.The department also received 15 complaints concerning fallen trees, with clearance work continuing at several locations.The NDMC received 38 rain-related complaints, including 19 cases of waterlogging, six reports of tree falls and 13 complaints concerning power outages. Officials said all complaints were attended to on priority.Following an IMD red alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds, the NDMC activated its emergency response teams.NDMC vice-chairperson Kuljeet Singh Chahal inspected vulnerable locations, beginning from Africa Avenue.Senior officials from the civil, roads, drainage, horticulture and electrical departments accompanied him to assess the situation and review pumping systems, drainage arrangements and field deployments.Complaints were received from Gole Market, Shahjahan Road, Krishna Menon Marg, Golf Links, Janpath, Connaught Place, Lodhi Colony, Sarojini Nagar, South Avenue, INA and nearby areas.Chahal said vulnerable locations, including Bharti Nagar, Golf Links, Ravinder Nagar, Minto Bridge, Kaka Ka Hotel and Mother Teresa Crescent, did not witness significant water accumulation despite the heavy rainfall.He said maintaining smooth traffic movement and uninterrupted civic services remained the NDMC’s priority.Horticulture teams removed fallen trees from Janpath, Teen Murti Lane, Gole Market, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Bharat Vikas Path near India Gate and Bhagwan Das Road, restoring movement in the affected areas.
Heavy rainfall recorded across the capital
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded 68.8mm of rainfall at Lodhi Road and 57.6mm at Safdarjung between 8.30am and 5.30pm.The Ridge area received 40.6mm, Ayanagar recorded 51.5mm, and Palam received 27.8mm during the same period.The IMD issued a red alert for thunderstorms, lightning and heavy rainfall and forecast a generally cloudy sky with intense spells of rain through the day.The rain also affected school attendance.The Principal and Vice Principal Association of Delhi Government Schools said students of the morning shift had reached their schools before weather conditions worsened, while attendance in the afternoon shift, which begins at 1pm, was around 50%.
AAP, BJP trade barbs over waterlogging
The widespread waterlogging triggered a political exchange between the AAP and the BJP.AAP’s Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj shared a video on X showing schoolchildren being carried on their parents’ shoulders through waist-deep water in Sadar Bazar.“In Sadar Bazar, one of Delhi’s largest wholesale markets, schoolchildren are being forced to pass through waist-deep rainwater. Thank you, CM Rekha Gupta. After Gen Z, now Gen Alpha too will remain indebted to the BJP,” Bharadwaj said.He alleged that waterlogged roads had caused difficulties for commuters and shopkeepers, with several vehicles getting stranded on flooded stretches.Responding to the criticism, Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra said there were no reports of major waterlogging despite the heavy rainfall.He claimed that water had receded within minutes after the rain stopped in areas where it had accumulated.Malhotra said Delhi had faced waterlogging during the monsoon almost every year, but claimed that the BJP government led by chief minister Rekha Gupta had substantially addressed the problem.PWD minister Parvesh Sahib Singh also shared a video showing traffic moving smoothly on Minto Bridge.“Rain is pouring relentlessly, but life on Minto Bridge is moving along at the same pace. The very effort is to ensure that monsoon remains just a season, not a trouble,” he said.Civic agencies said emergency teams remained deployed across Delhi as rain continued in parts of the city.(With agency inputs)
