Delhi rain: Kejriwal cancels Sunday leave of govt officials, asks them to be on ground

New DelhiAmid heavy rains in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal canceled the Sunday leave of all government officials and directed them to be on the field. On his official Twitter account, he also said that Delhi cabinet minister and Mayor Shelley Oberoi would inspect ‘problematic areas’ in the national capital.

In a tweet in Hindi, Kejriwal said, “Delhi received 126 mm of rain yesterday. Delhi received 15 per cent of the total rainfall it receives every monsoon in just 12 hours. People were severely affected due to water-logging.”

“Today all the ministers and mayor of Delhi will inspect the problem areas. All officers have been issued instructions to be on the ground and their Sunday leave has been cancelled,” he said.

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Delhi received 126 mm of rain yesterday. 15% of the total rainfall of the monsoon season. Rain in 12 nas. People are troubled due to water logging. Today all the ministers and mayors of Delhi will inspect the problem areas. By canceling the Sunday leave, the officers of all coincidences were instructed to get on the ground… – Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) 9 July 2023

Delhi receives highest rainfall in a single day in July since 1982

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Delhi recorded 153 mm of rain in the 24 hours ending 8:30 am on Sunday, the highest in a single day in July since 1982. The interaction between a Western Disturbance and monsoon winds is causing intense rainfall over northwest India, including Delhi, which received its first ‘very heavy’ rainfall of the season.

The Safdarjung observatory, the city’s primary weather station, recorded 153 mm of rain in the 24 hours ending 8:30 am on Sunday, the highest since 169.9 mm in 24 hours on July 25, 1982, a senior IMD official said. . It added that this was the third highest one-day rainfall in July since 1958.

The city recorded 133.4 mm of rainfall on July 10, 2003, 126 mm on July 28, 2009 and 125.7 mm on July 8, 1993. The highest ever rainfall of 266.2 mm was received on July 21, 1958.

IMD data shows that Delhi has recorded eight ‘very heavy’ rainfall events (between 115.6 mm and 204.4 mm) in July since 1969.

The Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert, warning of moderate rain, which may cause more trouble to the residents of Delhi.

The Ridge, Lodhi Road and Delhi University meteorological stations recorded 134.5 mm, 123.4 mm and 118 mm of rainfall, respectively.

According to the Met Office, less than 15 mm of rainfall is considered “light”, 15 mm to 64.5 mm “moderate”, 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm “heavy” and 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm “very heavy”.

Any amount greater than 204.4 mm is classified as “extremely heavy” rainfall.

Due to the heavy rains, parks, underpasses, markets and even hospital premises were submerged and roads were in chaos.

Pictures and videos of commuters wading through knee-deep water flooded social media platforms, raising concerns about the efficiency of the city’s drainage infrastructure.

Due to strong winds and rain, power and internet connectivity were also disrupted in many areas.

With rains inundating roads and familiar scenes of long queues of vehicles stuck in floods resurfaced, residents expressed displeasure over Delhi’s “poor drainage system”.
Delhi has three major drainage basins: Najafgarh, Barapullah and Trans-Yamuna.

During the rains, storm water from the eastern side of the central ridge flows directly into the Yamuna. On the western side, smaller rivulets merge into the Najafgarh rivulet, which eventually joins the river.

The eastern region of Delhi is a low-lying area and was originally part of the Yamuna floodplain. The existing storm water drainage system in Delhi is prone to clogging, mainly caused by waste and sewage, which slows down water flow.

Various parts of Delhi experience annual flooding due to factors such as excessive concrete structures, disappearance of water bodies, encroachment on storm water drains and discharge of untreated sewage and effluents.

According to the city government’s State Action Plan for Climate Change, there are multiple agencies involved in managing the drainage system, further complicating the situation.

The last drainage master plan for Delhi was drawn up in 1976 when the city had a population of around 6 million.

The government had asked IIT Delhi to prepare a ‘New Drainage Master Plan for NCT of Delhi’. The institute submitted a final report in 2018 but a technical panel of the city government rejected it, citing “discrepancies in the data”.

Earlier this year, the government tasked the Department of Public Welfare with the task of preparing a new plan, which manages the largest part of the stormwater runoff system in Delhi (2,064 km out of a total of 3,741 km).

According to officials, Delhi’s antiquated drainage system can handle only up to 50 mm of rain in 24 hours.

In April, the PWD had identified 165 water-logging spots and five hotspots — New Rohtak Road, under Zakira Nagar flyover, Loni Road roundabout, near Jahangirpuri Metro station, and Karala Kanjhawala Road. The PWD’s central control room also monitors areas with severe water-logging through 24-hour CCTV surveillance.

The state’s action plan for climate change identifies “heat waves and fewer days of heavy rainfall” as two key risk points.

Delhi recorded above normal rainfall in last four months

Delhi recorded above normal rainfall in the last four months – 53.2 mm against the normal of 17.4 mm in March, 20.1 mm against the normal of 16.3 mm in April, 111 mm against the normal of 30.7 mm in May and 101.7 mm against the normal . Normal 74.1 mm in June.

The city has received 164 mm of rain so far in July. The city receives an average of 209.7 mm of rainfall throughout the month.

Meteorologists have attributed the above-normal rains this year to Western Disturbances – weather systems that originate in the Mediterranean region and bring unseasonal rains to northwest India.

Amid heavy rains, the Safdarjung observatory recorded no heatwave day in the summer season (April to June) this year for the first time since 2011.

The IMD has predicted normal rainfall (94 to 106 per cent of the long period average of 280.4 mm) in the country in July. However, many areas of northwest, northeast and southeast peninsular India are likely to receive below normal rainfall.