According to IMD, Delhi experienced its highest December rainfall in 15 years on Friday. Heavy rains lashed Delhi and adjoining NCR in the early hours of Thursday and persisted throughout the day.
New Delhi: Heavy showers continued to lash Delhi and the adjoining NCR on Saturday morning, causing severe waterlogging and traffic snarls in several parts. Cold wave conditions intensified in Delhi following the incessant showers that began on Friday morning. Strong winds and downpours uprooted trees and caused severe disruptions in many areas. One of the alarming incidents occurred in Sector 9, RK Puram, where a section of the road collapsed, dragging a motorcycle and a car into the damaged area. Mathura also witnessed late-night rain on Friday, causing disruptions to its activities.
On Friday, rains caused waterlogging situations and severe traffic jams in several parts of the city. Burari was one of the worst-hit areas, where vehicles were stuck in knee-deep water.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the minimum temperature in the capital city on Saturday was recorded at 12 degrees celsius, while the maximum reached 19 degrees Celsius. It reported that Delhi experienced its highest December rainfall in 15 years on Friday. The heavy rains started in the early hours of Friday and persisted throughout the day.
IMD Predictions
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of more rain and thunderstorms throughout the day, and areas such as Palam, Safdarjung, Lodhi Road, IGI Airport, Mehrauli, Ayanagar, and Chhattarpur are likely to be the worst hit. Neighbouring cities like Gurugram, Noida, Manesar, and Faridabad are also expected to witness moderate to heavy rainfall with lightning.
In addition to that, the weather department has also predicted light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms in parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. This includes areas like Saharanpur, Gangoh, Deoband, Muzaffarnagar, Sakoti Tanda, Baraut, Daurala, Baghpat, Meerut, Modinagar, Kithor, and Nandgaon in Uttar Pradesh; Yamunanagar, Jhajjar, Farukhnagar, and Hodal in Haryana, with Tizara and Alwar in Rajasthan.
AQI in Delhi
Incessant rains caused a slight improvement in Delhi’s AQI; however, the air quality continues to remain in the ‘very poor’ category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), areas like Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 390, IGI Airport (T3) at 314, Aya Nagar at 329, Lodhi Road at 327, ITO at 360, Chandni Chowk at 300, and Punjabi Bagh at 361.
For context, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered in the good category, 51 to 100 in the satisfactory category, 101 to 200 is moderate, 201 to 300 is considered as poor, while 301 to 400 is marked in the very poor category, and 401 to 500 come in the severe category.
The Central government’s air quality monitoring panel recently revoked Stage IV (‘Severe+’) measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) due to the slight improvement in air quality. However, Stages I, II, and III remain in effect to prevent further deterioration, as announced by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on December 24.
(With inputs from agencies)
