The southwest monsoon finally arrived in Delhi on Friday, weeks after it was delayed owing to Cyclone Vayu and other factors. Moderate to heavy rain hit parts of Delhi and Noida on Friday, 5 July as it remained cloudy for the second consecutive day.
Safdarjung observatory recorded 25 mm of rain in three hours on Friday afternoon, making Delhi weather pleasant, private weather forecaster Skymet said. Scattered rain and thundershower activities are expected over Delhi-NCR on Friday and Saturday
The Indian Meteorological Department on Thursday, 4 July had issued a statement, saying thunderstorms with moderate rains would be occurring over the entire Delhi region, along with Panipat, Karnal, Gannaur, Baghpat, Sonipat, Rohtak, Kharkhoda, Gohana, Gannaur, Baraut, Jind, Jhajjar, Farukhnagar, Gurugram, Manesar, Faridabad, Palwal, Noida, Greater Noida, Dadri, and Ghaziabad.
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Kejriwal Issues Directions for Redressing Waterlogging Complaints Within 30 Minutes
As the monsoon reached Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday directed Heads of Departments (HoDs) concerned to ensure that all waterlogging complaints are resolved within 30 minutes in the national capital.
According to a government statement, the chief minister directed all the HoDs to submit complete lists by Saturday morning and remain prepared to deal with the situation since the rainy season has now set in.
"Chief minister directed the PWD to make public by Monday the status of desilting of drains and roads of all land owning agencies in their respective jurisdictions.”
"He directed all agencies to maintain a high level of coordination and not squabble about the jurisdictional issues to pass the buck," the statement said.
The PWD has been directed to make the people of Delhi aware about a toll-free helpline and a WhatsApp number immediately on which the people can send their waterlogging-related complaints, it said.
"All complaints must be resolved within 30 minutes of being received by pumping out water," the statement quoted Kejriwal as having said in the meeting.
Rainfall in July to Be Marginally Lower Than Normal
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted light to moderate rains on Saturday, with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to hover around 33 and 25 degrees Celsius, respectively.
On Thursday, the city witnessed its first spell of rains after 16 days.
In June, the national capital recorded just 11.4 mm of rainfall against the 30-year average of around 55 mm, an IMD official said.
Rainfall in July will be marginally lower than the normal. Overall, it will be a normal monsoon. Normally, 60 cm of rain is recorded from 1 June to 30 September in Delhi, according to the official.
Intermittent light rains are expected till 10 July. Heavy showers are likely after that, according to Skymet Weather.
Monsoon Arrives in Delhi, Light Showers Expected Today: IMD
The southwest monsoon finally arrived in Delhi on Friday, weeks after it was delayed owing to Cyclone Vayu and other factors, Skymet, a private weather forecast company said.
Scattered rain and thundershower activities are expected over Delhi-NCR on Friday and Saturday, the weather department added.
On Friday, the minimum temperature in the capital city was recorded at 26.9 degrees Celsius after a brief spell of rain in the last 24 hours.
Moderate to Heavy Rains Hit Delhi, Noida
Moderate to heavy rain hit parts of Delhi and Noida on Friday as it remained cloudy for the second consecutive day.
In the past three hours, Safdarjung observatory has recorded 25 mm of rain, making Delhi weather pleasant, private weather forecaster Skymet said on Friday afternoon.