Delhi sees waterlogged roads as heavy rains lash capital, IMD predicts downpour for Sunday

Heavy rains lashed Delhi on Sunday

Several areas of Delhi witnessed waterlogging after heavy rains lashed the capital city in the early hours of Sunday. The India Meteorological Department has predicted more rainfall on Sunday.

Areas including Vijay Chowk, Connaught Place, Minto Bridge, Sarojini Nagar, AIIMS, and Panchkuian Marg witnessed intense showers, Rainfall was also reported in areas such as Janpath, Lajpat Nagar and the Minto Bridge, a day after heavy showers affected routine life across parts of the city.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier predicted light to moderate rainfall in the Delhi-NCR region on Thursday morning.

"Light to moderate rainfall accompanied by light thunderstorm and lightning is very likely to occur at NCR (Bahadurgarh, Manesar). Light rainfall is very likely to occur over the entire Delhi-NCR, including Loni Dehat, Hindon AF Station, Ghaziabad, Indirapuram, Chhapraula, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad, and Ballabhgarh," the IMD said in a post on social media platform X.

Waterlogging in Delhi became a point of political slugfest and blame game after former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused Chief Minister Rekha Gupta of not paying attention to the issues.

Kejriwal shared a purported video of waterlogging at Connaught Place, questioning the performance of what he termed the "four-engine" government.

In a post on social media X, Kejriwal remarked that it was "hard" to believe the conditions of the heart of Delhi, Connaught Place.

"When this is the condition of Connaught Place, the heart of Delhi, it's not hard to imagine the state of the rest of Delhi. Just 10 minutes of rain and the roads have turned into ponds. In 5 months, where has the BJP brought Delhi to? Is this the speed of the '4-engine' government?" Kejriwal's post read.

The heavy rain in the national capital has led to widespread waterlogging, inconveniencing residents and office-goers alike. On the same day, AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj also took a swipe at Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and Public Works Department Minister Parvesh Verma over their earlier claims of effective waterlogging control measures.

In a post on X, Bharadwaj sarcastically remarked, "This is Delhi's ITO. On July 9, LG Sahab and PWD Minister Parvesh Verma had come here to inspect the waterlogging work, congratulating each other for the good work. Today, with waterlogging again, please accept my congratulations as well."

On Tuesday, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inspected the waterlogging situation at the ITO area. She said clear instructions had been issued to officials for effective drainage arrangements.

"Today, a surprise inspection of the waterlogging situation was conducted in ITO. Interacted with local people to gather information about the actual situation. Clear instructions have been given to officials to ensure proper arrangements for prompt water drainage during heavy rainfall," CM Gupta posted on X.

"The Delhi government is identifying all those areas in the capital where waterlogging occurs repeatedly during the rains. Work is being expedited on a plan for modern drainage systems, real-time monitoring, and rapid response units to provide permanent solutions at these locations. Our goal is- a Delhi where the monsoon becomes a relief, not a trouble," she said.

(WIth ANI inputs)