Rains again add to Delhi’s woes

Light to moderate rainfall is expected to continue in Delhi on Friday while a ‘yellow’ alert has been issued for July 15, the Met office has said.

Delhi witnessed light rain on Thursday, adding to the severe waterlogging in the city’s low-lying areas.

Brief spells of light rain occurred in parts of central and south Delhi, including areas such as Lajpat Nagar, Saket, Malviya Nagar, Hauz Khas and Jangpura.

The minimum temperature settled at 26.2 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season’s average. The maximum temperature was also recorded a notch below normal at 34.2 degrees Celsius.

According to Central Pollution Control Board data, the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) on Thursday stood in the ‘satisfactory’ category with a reading of 77.

The relative humidity at 5.30 pm was recorded at 74 per cent, according to the India Meteorological Department.

Delhi recorded a rapid rise in the Yamuna’s water level over the past four days. It shot up from 203.14 metres at 11.00 am on Sunday to 205.4 metres at 5.00 pm on Monday, breaching the danger mark of 205.33 metres 18 hours earlier than expected.

The river exceeded the evacuation mark of 206 metres Monday night, prompting the relocation of people residing in flood-prone areas to safer locations and the closure of the Old Railway Bridge for road and rail traffic.

The water level breached the previous record of 207.49 metres by 1.00 pm on Wednesday and the 208-metre mark by 10.00 pm.

The water level has since stabilised and will start receding from Thursday night, a senior Central Water Commission official said.