Schools in Delhi to be closed tomorrow due to incessant rainfall: CM Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that schools in the city will remain closed on Monday due to heavy rainfall, which has disrupted normal life. Earlier today, the chief minister cancelled the Sunday leave of all government officials and instructed them to be on the field as heavy rainfall caused massive waterlogging, and traffic jams in the city. 

In a tweet in Hindi, Kejriwal said, "Yesterday, Delhi received 126 mm of rainfall. Fifteen per cent of the total rainfall that Delhi gets every monsoon was received in just 12 hours. People were severely affected due to waterlogging. Today, all the ministers of Delhi and the mayor will carry out an inspection of the problem areas. Directions have been issued to all officers to be on the ground and their Sunday off has been cancelled." 

Delhi recorded 153 mm of rain in 24 hours ending 8:30 on Sunday, the highest in a single day in July since 1982, the India Meteorological Department said. An interaction between a western disturbance and monsoonal winds is leading to an intense rainfall spell over northwest India, including Delhi which experienced the season's first "very heavy" rainfall.

The Safdarjung Observatory, the city's primary weather station, recorded 153 mm of rainfall in 24 hours ending 8:30 am on Sunday, the highest since the 24-hour rainfall of 169.9 mm on July 25, 1982. It was the third-highest single-day rainfall for July since 1958, it added. 

The water level in the Yamuna river in Delhi is rising and is expected to breach the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Tuesday, the Central Water Commission (CWC) has said. The water level in the Yamuna at the Old Railway Bridge stood at 203.18 metres at 1 pm on Sunday. The warning level is 204.5 metres. The water level is likely to rise to 205.5 metres between 11 am and 1 pm on Tuesday. 

Northwest India has seen incessant rainfall over the last two days, with many areas in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan recording "heavy to very heavy" precipitation. While Delhi recorded 153 mm of rainfall in a 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Sunday, the highest in a single day in July since 1982, Chandigarh and Ambala reported record rainfall of 322.2 mm and 224.1 mm respectively. 

(With inputs from PTI)