Heavy rainfalls in Delhi causes a traffic jam in South, Central and North Delhi in the morning time. The Indian Meteorological Department has issued an ‘orange’ warning to the national capital. As per it, “people should be prepared” for more disruptions as more rain is forecasted throughout the day.
Traffic Disruptions Across Delhi
It is said that it had begun from about 2:30 am itself and continued up to the next morning. Jams occurred at many localities in the city. Rains jammed the situation more at South, Central, and North Delhi. Waterlogging due to rains and poor visibility of rains have really hindered a lot of traffic movement. Slippery roads have increased the risk of accidents and have lessened the pace of the vehicular movements.
Weather Conditions and IMD’s Forecast
IMD has mentioned that the rain is a result of an active western disturbance which has been interacting with easterly winds over northwest and central India, including the National Capital Region. This will bring about light to moderate rain coupled with thunderstorms over Delhi and other areas in the regions. The Met office has further forecasted that the rain will continue during the rest of the day hours and may lead to congested traffic.
The rain further brought the temperature down drastically along with this as Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 11°C, which is 2.8°C above normal for this time of the year. The weather office has asked people to be cautious and follow safety measures while commuting as the visibility may not improve anytime soon due to the rain.
Rainfall Statistics in Delhi
As much as 9.1 mm of rainfall has been recorded till 11:30 am at the weather station and main observatory of the capital at the Safdarjung observatory. The amount of rainfall at the various districts of the Delhi are as follows:
District Palam:8.4mm
District Lodhi Road:10.8mm
District Ridge:9mm
District Delhi University: 11 mm
District Pusa: 9.5 mm
These graphs show the level of rainfall and its impact on the day-to-day life in the city. Humidity had peaked its increase because of its influence on cooling and freshening of the temperature.
Degradation of Air Quality When it Rains
Even though it could clear a little bit of the smog in the air, the air quality of the city was graded “very poor.” According to data from Central Pollution Control Board, at 9 am the AQI was at 372, which falls under the ‘very poor’ category. Yesterday at 4 pm, AQI had also been at 345, which depicts the poor quality of air.
The AQI scale ranges from the following;
0-50: Good
51-100: Satisfactory
101-200: Moderate
201-300: Poor
301-400: Very Bad
401-500: Seriously Bad
It is a problem yet it brings danger even in rainy days. Authorities said that people should remain inside while advising other precautionary measures that should make people stay outside minimal times that would adversely affect the air.
Preparing for more rain
IMD ‘orange’ warning- All the residents are alerted for more further weather events. The intensity level of the warning signal says that may come another rain, which brings continued traffic disruptions, waterlogging, and poor visibility also. Commuters accordingly are to plan journeys. Howsoever, whether there has been any rain fall can be known well through official sources.
Apart from the rains, there is a possibility of thunderstorms also, which would again stop life in various ways. The IMD has also suggested people to stay indoors during heavy rains and not travel much.
Conclusion
Heavy rain in Delhi on Friday has caused heavy disruptions to traffic and air quality with more rain to come in the day. An ‘orange’ warning has been issued by the weather office, which asked people to get ready for prolonged periods of rainfall along with a possibility of thunderstorm during the day. Cautioning commuters, people who face respiratory issues are advised to stay indoors while stepping out due to a deterioration in air quality.
Citizens should have proper knowledge of what type of weather is going to face Delhi and be equipping all the updates relating to it so that worst impacts do not face citizens owing to this current condition.