Delhi News: 4 Kids Among 6 Dead In Rain-Related Incidents Toll Reaches 11 In First 2 Days

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The national capital reported six rain-related deaths on Saturday, bringing the toll to 11 within the first two days of the monsoon's arrival. Despite authorities' efforts to mitigate waterlogging, heavy rains continued to pose challenges.

PTI reported that two boys drowned in a waterlogged underpass in northwest Delhi's Badli on Saturday.

In Okhla, a 60-year-old man died after he got stuck with his scooter in a waterlogged underpass. Digvijay Kumar Chaudhary is a resident of Delhi's Jaitpur.

Meanwhile, on Saturday afternoon, in outer north Delhi's Samaypur Badli area where two boys drowned in a waterlogged section of an underpass.

Also Read: Delhi Rains: IMD issues orange alert till July 2 as heavy rain lashes national capital | Watch

PTI reported citing officials,“On Saturday morning, the bodies of three labourers were pulled out from the rubble of a wall that collapsed at a construction site in the Vasant Vihar area here amid heavy rain the day before.”

Over the past two days, Delhi has witnessed an escalation in rain-related fatalities, with the death toll rising to 11 as of Saturday.

The monsoon arrived in Delhi on Friday, accompanied by record-breaking rainfall of 228.1 mm, the highest for the month of June since 1936.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for Delhi, forecasting heavy rainfall over the next two days. On Saturday, the Safdarjung observatory, Delhi's primary weather station, recorded 8.9 mm of rainfall between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm, while the Lodhi Road observatory recorded 12.6 mm.

According to the IMD's release, moderate rain ranges from 7.6 to 35.5 mm in a day, while heavy rain constitutes amounts between 64.5 and 124.4 mm in a day. The IMD uses a color-coded warning system: green (no action needed), yellow (stay updated), orange (be prepared), and red (take immediate action).

Heavy rainfall on Friday led to widespread waterlogging across Delhi, particularly affecting areas such as the Pragati Maidan tunnel, which remained closed on Saturday. Efforts to drain the water from the tunnel were ongoing, with Public Works Department (PWD) officials anticipating its reopening late Saturday night.

Also Read: Monsoon update: India to get 'below normal' rainfall in June, says IMD

In response to the situation, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has increased manpower to manage waterlogging complaints. The council is closely monitoring Lutyens' Delhi areas using CCTV cameras to promptly address any emerging issues and ensure public safety.

NDMC Vice-Chairman Satish Upadhyay announced that in response to the excessive waterlogging observed at Golf Links and Bharti Nagar on Friday, they have taken proactive measures. They have deployed four additional pumps on standby to address any potential flooding issues swiftly and effectively.

"Three super suction machines mounted on vehicles will keep patrolling the vulnerable areas. We have also deployed additional staff and cancelled the offs of all employees.

“Each vulnerable area has been placed under one superintending engineer who has staff with them to address issues. The NDMC central command and control room will monitor all vulnerable areas through CCTV cameras,” Upadhyay told PTI.

According to the NDMC, superintending engineers oversee operations at vulnerable points to ensure timely interventions.

“We will ensure 24-hour monitoring through CCTV cameras. CCTV cameras are in place for continuous monitoring of vulnerable areas,” another official said.

Also Read: Delhi may witness light rainfall today, IMD red alert in Kerala, Karnataka for heavy rains; orange alert in Maharashtra

According to officials from the Public Works Department (PWD), all waterlogged areas in Delhi have been drained except for the Pragati Maidan Tunnel, where efforts were still ongoing as of the latest update. Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has activated its central control room to operate round-the-clock.

An official from MCD mentioned that they have deployed mobile pumps of various capacities, super sucker machines, earth movers, and other equipment at multiple locations across the city. These deployments are managed through dedicated 24x7 zonal control rooms, which respond to reports of waterlogging promptly and coordinate efforts to mitigate flooding and ensure smooth operations during heavy rainfall episodes.

“In total, 72 permanent pumping stations were functional and working as per requirement, in addition 465 mobile/submersible pumps of different capacity were made available to clear waterlogging. Manpower was adequately deployed also in tandem with machines for quick and sustained release of water,” he said.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, meanwhile, inspected the city's most severely affected areas and drainage systems to assess the damage and oversee remedial measures, an official statement said on Saturday.

Accompanied by Chief Secretary cum Chairman NDMC, Commissioner MCD, Principal Secretary PWD, and other senior officials, Saxena inspected the drains at Taimur Nagar, Barapulla Drain, ITPO, Tilak Bridge, Kushak Nallah, Golf Links, and Bharti Nagar, it said.

During his inspections, Saxena observed that all these drains were heavily clogged with garbage, debris, and sludge, which resulted in significant flooding across various parts of the city, according to the statement.

Saturday morning saw rainfall in parts of Delhi, with areas like Rohini and Burari experiencing showers. The city recorded a minimum temperature of 28 degrees Celsius.

Weather experts have highlighted that Delhi typically receives around 650 mm of rainfall throughout the entire Monsoon season.

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