Delhi recovers after Wednesday’s monsoon fury (Second Lead)

NEW DELHI - Thanks in part to the morning sun, the Indian capital recovered Thursday after heavy monsoon rains the previous evening flooded streets in many areas causing virtual chaos.

The city’s roads again overflowed with traffic Thursday following a break in the monsoon showers although the weather office has forecast more rains in the days to come.

Wednesday’s crippling downpour caused miles of traffic jams, bringing vast parts of Delhi to a halt.

Choked drains — although the Commonwealth Games are only three months away — filled up many roads with a sea of water, disrupting vehicles with one key victim being Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Dikshit’s motorcade was caught up in one such jam, forcing her to abandon an official programme and head home.

A part of a key road in south Delhi caved in while traffic lights at some important junctions broke down. So did numerous big and small vehicles, adding to the havoc.

Many complained that they reached home Wednesday night three to four hours after leaving their workplace.

Some suffered far worse consequences.

“I missed a flight to Singapore because my taxi got caught in a jam at Lado Sarai,” said Surinder Singh, a doctor from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences who was to fly to Malaysia and Singapore.

“I left my home (in Saket) at 7 to catch the 11 p.m. flight. But just a kilometre away, there was such a jam that my taxi couldn’t move. Even two-wheelers were stuck. After two painful hours, I had to return home.”

Scores of traffic policemen stood in rain directing traffic through the evening and night.

The worst hit areas included the arterial Ring Road, Dhaula Kuan, Naraina, Inderlok, Karampura, Wazirpur, Punjabi Bagh, G.T.B Depot, Pitampura, Mayapuri and Adchini.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) received 105 complaints of flooded streets and 14 of collapsed trees.

The monsoon arrived in Delhi Monday, six days after its scheduled June 29 date. The capital has so far received 116.2 mm of rain, 23 percent more than the average for this season.

A total 21.2 mm of rain was recorded since Wednesday morning, raising the level of the Yamuna river.

Only days ago, municipal officials had asserted that they were ready to meet the challenge of the monsoon. But with one solid shower, it was clear that the claim was exaggerated.

–Indo Asian news Service