Incessant downpours battered the national capital on Friday, throwing normal life out of gear as widespread waterlogging, traffic snarls and reports of disrupted movement emerged from several parts of the city. With a majority of roads submerged and key routes choked by slowly-moving vehicles, thousands of commuters were stuck in exasperating traffic gridlocks throughout the day.
Heavy rains lash Delhi
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded an alert for continued weather-related disruptions for Delhi, projecting moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning over the next two hours in several parts of the national capital. Chhatarpur Farm area was among one of areas worst-hit by the torrential rains, where heavy rain led to extensive waterlogging. Similar was the saga of Faridabad, where roads in Sector 35 and adjoining localities were inundated owing to continuous showers.
Essential services hit a roadblock
The intense downpours also left essential services in limbo. Rainwater gushed into the premises of the government-run Safdarjung Hospital, resulting in inconvenience to patients, attendants and hospital staffers. Arif Khan, an attendant accompanying a patient, told news agency ANI, “We are facing a lot of difficulty. There is waterlogging in a lot of areas of the hospital premises. There is water in the gallery as well. We are facing a lot of difficulty in moving the patient.”
Meanwhile, major vehicle pile-ups were also seen across major arterial roads in Delhi and adjoining NCR cities as waterlogged stretches and reduced visibility resulted in serpentine snarls.
Faridabad registers highest rainfall in NCR
Several weather stations located across the National Capital Region (NCR) registered heavy rainfall during the day, and some locations posted more than 100 mm of rain. According to weather forecaster Navdeep Dahiya, Faridabad’s Sector 17 saw the highest rainfall in the NCR region, registering 119.4 mm between midnight and 5 pm on Friday.
Gurugram battered by heavy rain showers
Besides Delhi and surrounding areas like Loni Dehat, Hindon Air Force Station, Ghaziabad, Indirapuram, Chhapraula, Noida, Dadri and Greater Noida, light to moderate showers are also likely to lash Gurugram, Faridabad and Manesar, as well as states such as Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.