Highest single-day rainfall in 19 years overwhelms Delhi

NEW DELHI: The highest single-day rainfall in September in 19 years brought the Capital on its knees on Wednesday, September 1. The heavy downpour flooded major arteries, colonies, homes and shops, which resulted in the disruption of normal life and caused major traffic jams across the city as commuters were left stranded for hours.

Safdarjung, the base weather station for Delhi, had recorded 112.1 mm (millimetre) of rain till the morning of Wednesday. Before this, the highest one-day rainfall in September was recorded on September 13, 2002, at 126.8 mm. The region received 76.5 mm of rain between 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM, which means the monthly normal of 125.1 mm has been achieved in just 33 hours and is now placed in the ‘excess’ category at 45 per cent.

The four decade-old drainage system can hold only up to 50 mm of rainfall. Waterlogging was reported on many roads with videos of submerged areas in Delhi like Diplomatic Enclave at Chanakyapuri and markets like Connaught Place and Sadar Bazaar.

The situation of various underpasses and under-bridges was particularly worrisome with Minot Bridge being closed for traffic amid heavy rainfall. This happens when the water-level reaches more than 20 centimetre (cm). The monsoon report of South Delhi Municipal Corporation revealed that waterlogging has been reported from 31 areas, 21 cases of tree felling and three cases in which walls and buildings collapsed.