IMD forecasts heavy rain in city, warns of water-logging

nNEWDELHI: The Regional Meteorological Centre, Delhi, has issued heavy rain warning for Delhi on July 29 and 30 when disruption of traffic and water-logging is likely. Their forecast says Delhi-ncr is likely to experience moderate category rain with heavy spells (over 65mm) during the evening on July 29 and 30.

Disruption of traffic, flooding on major roads, waterlogging and disruption of municipal services like water and power is likely. “Currently the monsoon trough (line of low pressure) is running close to the Himalayan foothills. From July 28 evening, the monsoon trough will shift southwards and continue to pass very close to

Delhi-ncr. During this period, southwesterly winds from Arabian Sea and easterly winds from Bay of Bengal will reach Haryana, Delhi-ncr, west UP and north-east Rajasthan. Under the influence of these systems heavy to very heavy rain will occur in these areas,” said Kuldeep Shrivastava, head, regional weather forecasting centre.

Commuters are already ruing traffic snarls due to repair works. Motorists were stuck in serpentine jams in central Delhi on Monday. Delhi traffic police said that the repair work on a portion of Bhairon Marg that had caved in, along with the construction of an underpass from Nizamuddin railway bridge to Ashram intersection on Mathura Road, resulted in vehicles crawling at snail’s pace especially during the peak hours of morning and evening.

On July 22, a portion of central Delhi’s Bhairon Marg had caved in after a heavy downpour. A senior PWD official said that the repair work at Bhairon Marg was completed late Monday night and traffic would be normalised on the stretch from Tuesday. “We have placed crash barriers along the affected area, so that such an incident would not reoccur when it rains,” the official said.

Sumer Ahluwalia, a resident of Sukhdev Vihar, said that it took her an hour to reach her client’s office in Connaught Place. The journey usually takes 30 minutes.

“There are several traffic diversions and I am sure if I had walked instead, I would have reached earlier,” said Ahluwalia.