How Delhi Went From Extreme Heat To Heavy Floods, Minister Explains

Delhi, which endured one of the worst heatwaves in history earlier this month, now faces severe water-logging with record-breaking rainfall in just 24 hours, surpassing the city's average for the entire month of June.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Safdarjung observatory in the city recorded 228mm of rainfall ending at 8:30 am today. It marks the second-highest 24-hour rainfall in June ever recorded. The city had on June 28, 1936 recorded 235.5mm rainfall.

The IMD, which defines very heavy rain as rainfall amounting to between 124.5 and 244.4 mm in a day, said later in the morning that the monsoon has arrived. The rain began around 3 am.

The downpour caused a fatal airport roof collapse, disrupted flights, blocked underpasses, and nightmarish mega traffic jams, turning the city's relief from the heat into chaos.

"You have to understand that if Delhi receives rainfall of 228 mm, then it will take time to decrease the water level... Right now, Delhi has received more rainfall than the capacity of the drains. That's why we are witnessing waterlogging at several places...," said Atishi, Delhi's Water Minister, whose own house was flooded.

Delhi, a city of 20 million, has not recorded so much rain in the entire month of June at least in the last 15 years, IMD data shows.

Temperatures this summer has neared 50 degrees Celsius in the city and it has recorded at least 40 consecutive days of temperatures at or above 40 degrees Celsius till June 22, according to IMD data.

"...We conducted an emergency meeting regarding the waterlogging issue due to the heavy rainfall. It was chaired by 4 ministers of the Delhi government... It was attended by all the senior officials of the Delhi government. We made several important decisions for the upcoming days," the Delhi Minister added.

The state government has also released a WhatsApp chatbot number 8130188222, helpline number 1800110093 for waterlogging complaints.

Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena also held a meeting and asked officials to set up an emergency control room for waterlogging complaints. The control room would be manned 24X7 by senior officials.

"Because of climate change, you will get more extreme rain events, which means more rain in a fewer number of rainy days, rainy hours," Sunita Narain, director general of research body Centre for Science and Environment, said in a recent video post.

(With agency inputs)