Delhi-NCR Rains Latest Updates: 12-Year-Old Among 7 Killed, Schools Shut Amid Traffic Chaos; IMD Issues Red Alert

At least seven people, including a 22-year-old woman and her child were killed and three people suffered injuries in separate incidents after heavy rainfall brought the national capital and NCR to a standstill, choking key stretches with unending traffic and leaving people stranded as roads resembled rivers.

A woman along with her son drowned in a waterlogged drain near Khoda Colony in Delhi’s Ghazipur area, while, a 12-year-old boy died due to electrocution at Bindapur area of Dwarka district. The father of the deceased told the cops that his son got electrocuted while returning back from tuition at 7 pm on Wednesday. Two plastic pipes containing disconnected electric cable were found emerging from the ground.

Further, one person was killed in the Subzi Mandi area and three more injured — two in Shastri Park and one in Defence Colony due to building collapse incidents following the torrential rain.

Additionally, officials said three people died due to electrocution near Gurugram’s IFFCO Chowk metro station around 10 pm on Wednesday. “Electric wires broke due to a tree falling because of waterlogging. Three people died on the spot due to an electric current in the water. Police have sent the bodies of the deceased to the hospital,” they added.

Delhi Education Minister Atishi announced late night that all schools will remain closed on Thursday in the city. “In light of the very heavy rainfall this evening and the forecast of heavy rainfall tomorrow, all schools both government and private will remain closed on August 1st,” she said in a post on ‘X‘.

Following Are The Latest Updates On Delhi Weather:

-The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday issued a ‘red’ alert for Delhi, predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours. “Moderate rainfall accompanied by moderate thunderstorms and lightning is likely to occur at North Delhi, Central-Delhi, New Delhi, South Delhi, South-East Delhi, East Delhi, NCR in the next two hours,” the IMD said.

– According to the weather department, intermittent rain would continue to lash parts of Delhi on Thursday and rainy conditions are expected to continue till August 5. Besides Delhi, other parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) have also experienced lightning, thunder, and light rain. According to IMD, the maximum temperature of Delhi is likely to remain between 33 to 35 degrees Celsius this entire week and the minimum temperature is likely to be around 26 to 27 degrees Celsius.

-The Salwan station in East Delhi’s Mayur Vihar area recorded 147.5 mm rainfall from 8.30 am on Wednesday till 7.15 am on Thursday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The Najafgarh station recorded 113 mm rainfall and the Lodhi Road, Delhi University and Safdarjung observatories recorded 107.5 mm, 104.5 mm, and 105.6 mm rainfall respectively, it said. It is the highest in rainfall recorded in Safdarjung observatory after 2010. The highest rainfall is 184 mm which was recorded on July 2 in 1961.

-The Delhi Police received 2,945 calls in the last 24 hours regarding traffic jams, 127 calls for water logging and 27 complaints regarding building collapse and 50 of tree uprooting.

-The torrential rains have disrupted the flight operations with airlines, including SpiecJet and IndiGo issuing guidelines and advisories over flight delays. “We want to keep you informed that our departures and arrivals are still experiencing delays, which may continue through the morning. We understand that waiting through the night can be bothersome and inconvenient, and we sincerely regret the discomfort this may cause. Please be assured that our dedicated airport teams are on hand to assist you and are working diligently to make your wait as comfortable as possible. Thank you for your patience and continued support,” IndiGo said in a post on X. At least 10 flights heading to the national capital were diverted, eight to Jaipur and two to Lucknow, on Wednesday due to heavy downpour.

-Multiple areas, including Lutyen’s Delhi, Kashmere Gate, and Rajinder Nagar, have been inundated due to the downpour. The traffic police have issued several alerts regarding the affected routes and urged people to plan their journeys accordingly.

-Commuters described massive traffic chaos not just in Delhi but also on roads leading to Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad. In the national capital, commuters on the Mehrauli-Chhattarpur road claimed to be stuck on the road for over 1.5 hours because of heavy rain. Vehicular movement was hit on the carriageway from Moolchand towards Chirag Delhi, both carriageways on Anuvrat Marg, Outer Ring Road, Syama Prasad Mukherjee Marg and Mahatma Gandhi Marg among other key roads.

-According to news agency ANI, water is being pumped out at several locations, including, the building of the Institute of Town Planners India as it as entered the area.

-The torrential downpour prompted the weather office to include Delhi in its list of ‘areas of concern’ in the National Flash Flood Guidance Bulletin. The department advised people to remain indoors, secure windows and doors, and refrain from unnecessary travel.

-Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Thursday gave adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha to “form a specialised committee, comprising all party MPs, to inspect the Parliament building thoroughly following water leaks inside the Parliament lobby on Wednesday following heavy downpour.”

-Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Thursday said that all the water was accumulated outside the Parliament due to heavy rainfall in Delhi-NCR. She said, “As we got out (of the Parliament), water was accumulated here. If the waterlogging can happen here, then I can understand the plight of people of Delhi.”

-The Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital was recorded in the “satisfactory” category with a reading of 63 at 10 am, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.

-A 22-year-old woman Tanuja and her three-year-old son Priyansh drowned in a waterlogged drain near Khoda Colony in the Ghazipur area. The pair had gone to a weekly market where they slipped and fell into the waterlogged under-construction drain around 8 pm. They were brought out with the help of divers and cranes and taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital where doctors declared them dead, the police officer said.

-Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar area, where three UPSC aspirant students died due to flooding in the basement of a coaching centre last week, was again submerged following heavy rainfall on Wednesday. However, the situation remained normal and the traffic was operating smoothly on arterial roads in the region.

-Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has also urged officials to remain vigilant amid the heavy downpour. “Have cautioned all officers to remain alert in light of the ongoing heavy downpour in Delhi. Apart from ensuring minimum inconvenience to people in general, they are advised to specifically address issues at sites prone to waterlogging, including coaching centres,” Saxena said in a post on X.

-Delhi BJP leader Virendra Sachdeva slammed the AAP-led Delhi government and MCD over the deaths in rain-related incidents in the national capital saying that the city is facing chaos because the government is not bothered. “The Delhi government, Delhi Jal Board, and MCD have not woken up even after the occurrence of such a big tragedy in Old Rajinder Nagar. A woman was walking with her child and she could not see due to the waterlogging and she died, a house collapsed in Sabzi Mandi, a wall of a school in Dariyaganj collapsed… the national capital is witnessing heavy traffic jams since last night… all of this is happening but the government is not bothered. You made claims that you have cleaned the drains… where are the clean drains? Entire Delhi is submerged in water. This government does not deserve to be in power,” he said.

-MCD mayor Dr Shelly Oberoi have ordered the civic body commissioner and other officials to work 24×7 to address any waterlogging occurrences as soon as possible across the national capital.

-According to IMD, the city’s primary weather station Safdarjung recorded 79.2 mm of rainfall between 5:30 pm and 8:30 pm on Wednesday; Mayur Vihar 119 mm; Delhi University 77.5 mm; Pusa 66.5 mm; and the Palam observatory 43.7 mm during the same duration.

(With inputs from agencies)