AIRPORT ROOF COLLAPSES, ROADS WATER-LOGGED: HOW DELHI HAS BEEN TURNED INTO A MESS AFTER HEAVY DOWNPOUR

Delhi has experienced relief today after a month-long heatwave that saw temperatures rise above 50 degrees Celsius.

The National Capital has been experiencing incessant rain, thunderstorms, and lightning for the second day in a row.

A seven-day prediction for Delhi has been provided by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which shows mostly gloomy skies, variable amounts of rainfall, and strong winds.

According to images provided by ANI, numerous parts of the Capital experienced waterlogging and traffic jams.

At Indira Gandhi Airport Terminal 1, a section of the roof fell, leaving one person dead and multiple others injured.

Delhi Airport Terminal roof collapses

A section of the roof of Terminal One at the Delhi airport collapsed on vehicles this morning after intense rain, resulting in at least one fatality and five injuries, according to NDTV.

As a "safety measure," all departures from Terminal One have been temporarily halted, and check-in counters were closed, according to a Delhi airport official. Only domestic flights operate out of Terminal One.

The representative added that till 2 pm today, all flights departing from IndiGo and SpiceJet's Terminal One are cancelled.

The incident, which was reported to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) at around 5.30 am, resulted in damage to numerous vehicles, including cabs.

Multiple fire tenders were dispatched to the scene to support the recovery efforts.

The vehicles parked at the pick-up and drop section of the terminal at the busiest airport in the world, Indira Gandhi International Airport, were damaged, according to the officials, when the roof sheet and support beams collapsed.

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu stated that he was "personally monitoring" the incident and that the injured had been taken to the hospital.

Waterlogging, long traffic snarls, and disrupted metro services

There is waterlogging in a few areas of the National Capital due to the continuous rainfall.

Images posted on social media by users depicted severe traffic snarls and flooded roads in certain areas of Delhi.

According to the Delhi Traffic Police, waterlogging at the Minto Bridge underpass is causing traffic on Minto Road in both carriageways from Kamla Market towards Connaught Place and vice versa, according to Indian Express.

At the Azad Market underpass, trucks were also completely submerged in water.

Waterlogging has severely affected traffic on Anuvrat Marg in both directions from 100 Foota Red Light to Lado Sarai Red Light.

Visuals from Connaught Place and the neighbourhoods surrounding a number of metro stations showed flooded streets.

Workers in Noida and Ghaziabad were further inconvenienced by flooded roads brought on by incessant rain.

Numerous areas are flooded, including Teen Murti Marg, Moolchand, Anand Vihar, Mehrauli Badarpur Road, Mandawali, Bhikaji Cama Place, Madhu Vihar, Pragati Maidan, Vir Banda Bairagi Marg, Aurobindo Marg, Outer Ring Road, Munirka, Dhaula Kuan, Moti Bagh, ITO, and a few sectors in the Noida area, as per India Today.

Water seeped into homes in South East Delhi's Chittaranjan Park, causing damage to furniture and other household goods.

As a show of protest against the “collapsing” infrastructure, Delhi BJP councillor Ravinder Singh Negi, a resident of Vinod Nagar in east Delhi, was seen rowing an inflatable boat on a flooded street.

He demonstrated how bad the flooding was in the locality, and blamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.

“...All PWD drains are overflowing. They didn't get it cleaned ahead of Monsoon. This has led to waterlogging...Vinod Nagar is submerged," said the BJP leader, pausing his frantic "rowing" to speak to ANI.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation wrote in a post on X, “Due to heavy rains, entry/exit is closed at Yashobhoomi Dwarka Sector – 25 Metro station. Also, the shuttle service from Delhi Aerocity Metro station to Terminal-1 IGI Airport has been suspended.”

Advisory issued

IMD officials issued an advisory to be aware of localised waterlogging in low-lying regions, reduced visibility, slick roads, and traffic congestion due to the severe rain spells, according to the Indian Express.

It advised staying away from waterlogged regions, monitoring traffic along roadways, and staying informed about weather warnings.

Numerous locations had diversions issued by the traffic police.

Police recommended commuters seek alternate routes due to flooding on several important highways, including the Delhi Meerut Highway, the Naraina-Moti Bagh road near the Dhaula Kuan Flyover, the Vir Banda Bairagi Marg at the Azad Market underpass, the Tilak Bridge, the Aurobindo Marg, the Anuvrat Marg and numerous roads going to AIIMS.

Rainfall in Delhi

In the last 24 hours, Delhi has received 228.1 millimetres of rain, making it one of the wettest spells the city has experienced since June, according to another report by India Today.

According to IMD data, there were 148.5 millimetres of rainfall in the city today between 2.30 and 5.30 am at the Safdarjung Observatory, the main meteorological station.

Rain earlier on Thursday caused Delhi's temperature to drop to 35.4 degrees Celsius. Notably, Delhi has been experiencing extreme heatwaves — there have been nine heatwave days in June so far, compared to none in 2023 and 2022.

Pre-monsoon showers also helped to rid Delhi's air of sooty pollutants; according to the Central Pollution Control Board, the National Capital recorded its first "satisfactory" 24-hour average air quality (AQI) level in 282 days.

The IMD reported yesterday, the monsoon will hit the capital within the next two to three days.

According to the report, as the scorching conditions have decreased nationwide, favourable circumstances are being seen for the southwest monsoon to continue advancing into a few more areas of North India.

The IMD predicts that on 28 June, there will be light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, similar temperatures as the day before, and wind gusts of up to 35 kilometres per hour.

On 29 June, the weather is anticipated to be slightly cooler, with a high of 36 degrees Celsius and a low of 28 degrees Celsius.

There is a chance of light to moderate rain and thunderstorms in the city, along with winds of 30 to 40 kilometres per hour.

On 30 June, the temperature will drop even lower to 34 degrees Celsius with gusty gusts and moderate to heavy rain.

Last year, the monsoon hit Delhi on 26 June, according to the data.

It arrived on 30 June 2022, on 13 July in 2021, and 25 June in 2020, as per NDTV.

Additionally, during the next two to three days, the weather agency has predicted light to moderate spells of rainfall over Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chandigarh, and Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu.

With inputs from agencies

2024-06-28T06:38:14Z dg43tfdfdgfd