Record rain in 40 years paralyses Delhi, monsoon fury in North India, 15 deaths
NEW DELHI,JULY 9 : Several parts of northwest India witnessed a heavy spell of rain on Saturday and Sunday, with Delhi breaking a 40-year-old record. Delhi recorded 153 mm of rain in 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Sunday, the highest in a single day in July since 1982, the India Meteorological Department said.
At least 15 people have been killed in landslides in hill states as heavy rains and strong winds pounded several parts of north India, news agency PTI reported.
Northwest India has seen incessant rainfall over the last two days, with many areas in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab recording “heavy to very heavy” precipitation.
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.
Data from the India Meteorological Department show that bountiful rains in many parts of India in the first eight days of July have bridged the rainfall deficit for the entire country. The cumulative rainfall in the monsoon season has reached 243.2 mm, which is 2 per cent above the normal of 239.1 mm, the data stated.
The city logged 133.4 mm of rain on July 10, 2003, and an all-time high of 266.2 mm on July 21, 1958.
The Met Office has issued a yellow alert, warning of moderate rain which could cause more problems to the residents of Delhi.
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.
-PTI
