Delhi recorded 153 mm of rain in 24 hours ending 8:30 on Sunday, the highest in a single day in July since 1982, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
An interaction between a western disturbance and monsoonal winds is leading to an intense rainfall spell over northwest India, including Delhi which experienced the season's first "very heavy" rainfall.
The Safdarjung Observatory, the city's primary weather station, recorded 153 mm of rainfall in 24 hours ending 8:30 am on Sunday, the highest since the 24-hour rainfall of 169.9 mm on July 25, 1982, a senior IMD official said. It was the third-highest single-day rainfall for July since 1958, it added.
The city logged 133.4 mm of rain on July 10, 2003, 126 mm on July 28, 2009, and 125.7 mm on July 8, 1993. The all-time high of 266.2 mm on July 21, 1958. Delhi has recorded eight "very heavy" rain events (between 115.6 mm and 204.4 mm) in July since 1969, the IMD data shows.
The Met Office has issued a yellow alert, warning of moderate rain which could cause more problems to the residents of Delhi. The weather stations at Ridge, Lodhi Road and Delhi University recorded 134.5 mm, 123.4 mm, and 118 mm of precipitation, respectively.
The heavy rain submerged parks, underpasses, markets and even hospital premises, and caused chaos on the roads. 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.
Strong winds and showers also caused disruptions in power and internet connectivity in several areas.
With the showers bringing back the familiar scenes of waterlogged roads and long lines of vehicles stuck in the deluge, residents expressed anguish over Delhi's "poor drainage system".
The IMD issued a warning of isolated extremely heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand throughout Sunday. Heavy to very heavy rain is predicted in isolated areas of Jammu and Kashmir until Monday, and in eastern Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Punjab on Sunday.
The IMD said heavy rainfall is unlikely in the region starting from July 11. 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, it anticipates below-normal precipitation over many areas of northwest, northeast and southeast peninsular India.
Kejriwal's order
With heavy rains battering Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has cancelled the Sunday leave of all government officials and instructed them to be on the field. He also said Delhi Cabinet ministers and Mayor Shelly Oberoi will be inspecting the "problem areas" on the city.
In a tweet in Hindi, Kejriwal said, "Yesterday, Delhi received 126 mm of rainfall. Fifteen per cent of the total rainfall that Delhi gets every monsoon was received in just 12 hours. People were severely affected due to waterlogging.
"Today, all the ministers of Delhi and the mayor will carry out an inspection of problem areas. Directions have been issued to all officers to be on the ground and their Sunday off has been cancelled," he said.
Yamuna water level rising
The water level in the Yamuna river in Delhi is rising and is expected to breach the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Tuesday, the Central Water Commission (CWC) has said.
According to the CWC's flood-monitoring portal, the water level in the Yamuna at the Old Railway Bridge stood at 203.18 metres at 1 pm on Sunday. The warning level is 204.5 metres.
The water level is likely to rise to 205.5 metres between 11 am and 1 pm on Tuesday, the CWC said in an advisory.
Northwest India has seen incessant rainfall over the last two days, with many areas in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan recording "heavy to very heavy" precipitation.
The catchment of the Yamuna river system covers parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. The low-lying areas near the river in Delhi are considered vulnerable to flooding and are home to around 37,000 people.
