Monsoon arrives in Delhi

The monsoon arrived in the national capital of India, Delhi, two days earlier than expected, bringing relief to the residents from the scorching heat. However, amidst the rainfall, a tragic incident occurred where a woman lost her life due to electrocution.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the early morning showers significantly reduced the maximum temperature to 29 degrees Celsius, which is eight notches below the normal range. The Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi’s primary weather station, recorded a rainfall of 48.3 mm within a 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Sunday.

While the arrival of the monsoon brought respite to the capital, it also led to waterlogging and traffic congestion in certain areas. Interestingly, the southwest monsoon simultaneously covered both Delhi and Mumbai on the same day, a rare occurrence that hadn’t happened since June 21, 1961, according to the IMD. However, while Delhi witnessed an early onset of the monsoon, Mumbai experienced a delay of two weeks compared to the normal schedule.

In terms of rainfall data, the Safdarjung Observatory recorded 2.4 mm, Palam 7.1 mm, Lodhi Road 1.7 mm, Ridge 7.4 mm, and Ayanagar 4 mm rainfall between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Sunday. The Met office described the monsoon activity over Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi as “vigorous,” indicating rainfall that exceeds four times the normal amount or is fairly widespread.

Tragically, a 34-year-old woman lost her life due to electrocution after accidentally coming into contact with a live wire at the New Delhi railway station complex during the rainfall. The incident highlighted the challenges posed by the weather, as waterlogging was also reported in various parts of the city, leading to disruptions in traffic flow.

The central control room of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi reported instances of uprooted trees in Janakpuri, Swaroop Nagar, and Trilokpuri, as well as waterlogging in Timarpur, Civil Lines, Janakpuri, Firni Road, Friends Colony, and Railway Colony.

The Public Works Department received 28 complaints of waterlogging, with 24 cases already resolved and four remaining pending. Another incident occurred in southwest Delhi’s R K Puram area, where a shared balcony of two adjacent shops collapsed, fortunately without causing any injuries as the shops were closed at the time.

On Sunday, the minimum temperature dropped to 23.1 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal, as reported by the IMD. The relative humidity varied between 73 percent and 100 percent.

The IMD forecasted generally cloudy skies with light to moderate rainfall and thundershowers for Monday, with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to reach around 30 and 23 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The previous day, Saturday, witnessed maximum and minimum temperatures of 37.2 and 30.4 degrees Celsius in the city, respectively. (With inputs from PTI)