Delhi Rain Havoc: Wall Collapse Kills Woman and Son, City Reels from Widespread Waterlogging and Traffic Chaos
A 'red alert' for rain was issued for Tuesday morning, which was downgraded to an ‘orange alert' after 11 am. The IMD predicted moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by lightning and surface winds with speeds of 30 to 40 kmph during the day.
New Delhi: The heavy downpour on Tuesday morning led to widespread waterlogging and severe traffic snarls in the Delhi NCR even as a woman and her teen son died when the wall of an under-construction building near the Lieutenant Governor's house in the Civil Lines area collapsed.
The deceased were identified as Meera and her son Ganpath. All of them had come to Delhi from Madhya Pradesh. Meera's husband stayed back home.
A 'red alert' for rain was issued for Tuesday morning, which was downgraded to an ‘orange alert' after 11 am. The IMD predicted moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by lightning and surface winds with speeds of 30 to 40 kmph during the day.
After heavy rain battered Delhi, visuals from various parts of the city showed long lines of vehicles stuck on waterlogged roads.
In many areas, the water level rose to the knees, partially submerging cars and two-wheelers alike. The Delhi Traffic Police shared information regarding snarls and diversions on X and advised commuters to avoid the affected stretches
The rainfall waterlogged commercial areas, including Connaught Place, Kamlanagar, Sadar Bazaar and Chandni Chowk among others, affecting shopkeepers and slowing down business activity.
The situation turned grim as three to four feet of water accumulated in areas like Qutub Road, Teliwara, Crockery Market, Toliyawali Gali, Rui Mandi, Gandhi Market and Pan Mandi, making it difficult for even pedestrians to move around.
Traffic came to a near standstill on several stretches like ITO, Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Delhi-Meerut Expressway, Nehru Place, Kailash Colony Road, Dhaula Kuan, Naraina, Patel Nagar, Vijay Chowk, Jangpura, RK Puram, Lajpat Nagar, Talkatora Road, Azad Market underpass, and Zakhira underpass.
According to the Public Works Department (PWD), around 90 calls regarding waterlogging were received at its flood control room on Tuesday morning.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited the waterlogged ITO crossing and said her government has sought a "detailed report" on every such spot from the civic authorities.
She said the water drained out within 30-45 minutes from the area. "All our teams are alert and officials are taking stock of waterlogging. There were places where water accumulated but it was drained out timely. I have spoken to locals here at ITO and they said that the water receded within half an hour to 45 minutes. We have a report of every waterlogging point and we are working to improve this situation," she said.
PWD officials said there was waterlogging reported at the Minto Bridge underpass, and traffic had to be diverted due to it for a brief period.
