Parts of Delhi-NCR were lashed by heavy downpour on Wednesday evening, leading to massive waterlogging. The Delhi government has ordered the closure of all private and government schools on Thursday due to the heavy deluge.
"In light of the very heavy rainfall this evening and the forecast of heavy rainfall tomorrow, all schools both government and private will remain closed on August 1st," Delhi minister Atishi posted on X.
Heavy traffic jams were reported on several major roads due to the inundation. Multiple parts of Delhi-NCR including Ghazipur, Kashmere Gate, Karol Bagh, Pragati Maidan, and Old Rajinder Nagar were marooned by the heavy deluge.
Other affected areas include Mayur Vihar, ITO, RK Puram, Janpath, Parliament Street, Pant Marg, Karol Bagh, and Nauroji Nagar. In Noida, areas including Gaur City, Film City and many underpasses on the Delhi-Noida expressway were waterlogged.
Due to this, traffic was affected on major roads including the Delhi-Noida Expressway and Mathura Road, and major locations such as ITO, AIIMS, Pragati Maidan, Kashmere Gate, and Sarai Kale Khan among others.
Traffic snarls were reported from the Pragati Maidan, ITO intersection, the Dhaula Kuan area and the road towards the airport due to waterlogging. Serpentine traffic jams were also reported in Lutyens' Delhi and on roads leading to Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.
Not only this, air traffic was also affected due to inclement weather. 10 flights were diverted from Delhi Airport to other locations within 7:30 pm to 8:00 pm due to adverse weather conditions.
Eight of them were directed to Jaipur and two were diverted to Lucknow. Airlines have also warned passengers of possible flight disruptions. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Delhi for August 1 and 2.
The weather office predicted a generally cloudy sky and light to moderate rain/thundershowers on both these days. According to the IMD, the city's primary weather station Safdarjung recorded 79.2 mm of rainfall between 5:30 pm and 8:30 pm; Mayur Vihar 119 mm; Delhi University 77.5 mm; Pusa 66.5 mm; and the Palam observatory 43.7 mm.