Delhi schools to stay shut on Monday amid heavy rains, says CM Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Sunday that schools in Delhi will remain closed on Monday, July 10. The decision was prompted by the continuous heavy rainfall that the national capital has been experiencing since Saturday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed that Delhi recorded 153 mm of rain within a 24-hour period, marking the highest rainfall in a single day in July since 1982.

The heavy rainfall is a result of the interaction between a western disturbance and monsoonal winds, leading to an intense rainfall spell over northwest India, including Delhi. Saturday witnessed the season's first instance of "very heavy" rainfall, reported the Mint.

Taking into consideration the torrential rains over the past two days and the warnings issued by the meteorological department, Chief Minister Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi, stating that all schools will remain closed on Monday.

The Safdarjung observatory, which serves as Delhi's primary weather station, recorded the aforementioned 153 mm of rain within the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Sunday. An IMD official confirmed that this is the highest rainfall recorded since the 169.9 mm within 24 hours on July 25, 1982.

The IMD had previously forecasted high-intensity rain for 2-3 days in Delhi. As a result of the downpour, arterial roads, parks, underpasses, markets, schools, and hospitals faced severe inundation, causing havoc throughout the city.

Reports indicate that Delhi has witnessed the highest rainfall in the past 40 years. Tragically, a 58-year-old woman lost her life when a wall collapsed on her in Tibbia College Society in Delhi's Karol Bagh area due to the heavy rain.

The Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram, Nishant Kumar Yadav, issued an advisory on Sunday urging private institutions and corporate offices to implement Work From Home (WFH) arrangements for their employees on Monday, in response to the continuous rainfall. The objective behind this advisory was to mitigate traffic congestion on the roads, reported PTI.

“This will also help the civic agencies to take up dewatering and repair works expeditiously. We also advised the resident not to step outside unnecessarily due to rain,” Yadav told PTI.

According to data provided by the district administration, Gurugram City experienced heavy rainfall, measuring 150 mm, between 6:00 am and 11:00 pm on Sunday. As a result, severe waterlogging occurred on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway as well as various parts of the city.

Numerous pictures and videos uploaded on Twitter show the profound impact of the heavy rainfall on the city's roads. The Gurugram traffic police utilised Twitter to keep commuters informed about the traffic situation and advised them to consider working from home due to the waterlogging and traffic conditions.