Delhi rains: Heaviest spell this monsoon season so far; city grapples with waterlogging woes

New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI) Delhi witnessed the heaviest spell of rains this monsoon season on Thursday, which inundated low-lying areas and threw traffic out of gear.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Ayanagar weather station recorded 99.2 mm rainfall, the maximum in the city, till 8.30 am. The Palam and Ridge weather stations gauged 93.6 mm and 84.6 mm precipitation respectively.

The Safdarjung observatory, which provides representative figures for the city, recorded 68 mm rainfall, according to the IMD.

Rainfall recorded below 15 mm is considered light, between 15 and 64.5 mm is moderate and above 64.5 mm is heavy.

Vehicles moved bumper to bumper during the morning rush hours, as the downpour led to heavy waterlogging at key road stretches.

The Delhi Traffic Police reported an incident of a tree being uprooted near the high court, which led to traffic snarls. The Raja Garden and Mayapuri flyovers also witnessed heavy waterlogging.

The rains are expected to bring down the rain deficiency in the national capital.  Till Wednesday evening, the city had recorded 72 per cent less rainfall than normal in August so far, the lowest in 10 years, according to the IMD.

Overall, Delhi has recorded 35 per cent less rains in the monsoon season so far.

Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD's regional forecasting centre, said the city witnessed "continuous rains overnight" and more rainfall is expected during the day.

"The axis of monsoon remains close to Delhi-NCR. Also, there is a cyclonic circulation over southwest Uttar Pradesh. Southwesterly winds from the Arabian Sea and easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal also fed moisture," he said.

Light rains will continue over the next two to three days, Srivastava said.

Earlier, the IMD had predicted one or two spells of heavy rains between Tuesday and Thursday. PTI GVS RC