A heavy spell of rain since last evening has left large parts of Delhi severely waterlogged. The water inundation brought traffic to a standstill, flooded residential colonies, and once again exposed the recurring monsoon preparedness crisis in the national capital. Despite tall claims and early planning, Delhi appears to have been caught off guard yet again throwing normal life out of gear. The situation is such that the heavy showers have caused severe waterlogging in Kirari, West Delhi. In Agra Nagar, rising water levels have forced residents to leave their homes and take shelter on rooftops or elsewhere. A local resident said, "I’ve been living here for the past 10 years. Since yesterday, the water has risen drastically. To get essentials, I have to wade through dirty water inside my house. There are no stairs. This morning, there were tremors too.
Despite a dedicated allocation of Rs 36 crore this year, separate from the routine sanitation budget, the civic body admitted it had cleaned only 75 per cent of the drains under its jurisdiction by the time the monsoon arrived. Rush-hour commuters were stranded on the roads and flight schedules disrupted on Wednesday evening after a northward shift in the monsoon triggered rains in several parts of Delhi, inundating streets in knee-deep water.Lengthy traffic jams were reported across Outer Ring Road, Mathura Road, parts of Ring Road and in ITO, Mahipalpur, Bishambar Das Marg, Shastri Park, Kashmere Gate, West Patel Nagar, Kailash Colony and Krishna Nagar to name but a few. The massive traffic snarls continued till late evening , trapping commuters returning to their homes in the city and other parts of the National Capital Region (NCR). Several motorists detailed the chaos in social media posts and called on the Delhi Traffic Police to clear the roads. The showers marked a rapid turnaround in the weather, after a muggy afternoon, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to revise its forecast as dark clouds started cloaking the city. IMD said more rain would whip the city on Thursday, but wane from Friday.