Delhi rains: A house collapsed in the Sabji Mandi area of north Delhi following heavy rainfall today (July 31), a Delhi Fire Services official said. "We received a call at 8:57 pm regarding the collapse of a house in the Sabji Mandi area close to Ghanta Ghar near Robin Cinema. Five fire tenders were rushed to the spot," an official said.
Delhi Fire Services official said that one person has been rescued from the debris and admitted to Hindu Rao Hospital.
Heavy rainfall alert
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast moderate to heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in most parts of the capital for the next two hours. Delhi recorded more than a hundred millimetres of rainfall in one hour, leading to waterlogging in several areas of the national capital and prompting the weather office to issue a red warning.
The National Flash Flood Guidance Bulletin also included Delhi in its list of 'areas of concern', the weather office said. According to the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Automatic Weather Station (AWS) network, the Pragati Maidan observatory in central Delhi recorded 112.5 mm of rainfall in one hour.
An extreme amount of precipitation in a short period, specifically 100 mm of rainfall within an hour, is defined by the IMD as a cloud burst. There has, however, been no official statement on the situation from weather officials.
Delhi LG cautions officers to remain alert
Delhi Lt Governor, in a post on X, said he cautioned officers to remain alert in light of the heavy downpour. "Apart from ensuring minimum inconvenience to people in general, they are advised to specifically address issues at sites prone to waterlogging, including coaching centres," he said in the post.
PWD issues SOP for de-silting of Delhi's drains
The PWD of Delhi on Wednesday issued an SOP for proper de-silting of drains, operation of pumps, road repair work and precautionary measures to avoid electrocution, following the death of three UPSC aspirants in Old Rajinder Nagar due to flooding.The silt removed from the drains should be immediately disposed off in the authorised dumping grounds within a maximum of two hours after de-silting as during rains, there is limited time for the silt to dry, an official memorandum of the public works department said.
Delhi has seen high-intensity rains this monsoon, leading to waterlogging in a short period of time. On Wednesday, too, Delhi recorded more than a hundred millimetres of rainfall in one hour, leading to waterlogging in several areas, prompting the weather office to issue a 'red' warning.
Various unfortunate incidents of deaths due to electrocution, flooding of basements, falling into drains and accidents due to potholes on roads have been reported recently, the memo said. In view of these incidents, all drains have to be de-silted completely, it said.
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