NEW DELHI: The incessant downpour here on Saturday brought the city to its knees with several main roads literally turning into 'swimming pools', leaving the hapless commuters furious.
The weather department has forecast heavy rainfall for the next three days. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government said its officials would work round-the-clock to pump out the rainwater.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress seized upon the issue, holding the ruling AAP government responsible for Saturday's mess on the city's roads. "All the DMs and SDMs hv been asked to inspect and coordinate water-logging problem in city. They'll be on road round-the-clock," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweeted.
With the rain not letting up since the morning, roads at many places were flooded and the choked drains worsened the situation with filth and garbage floating on streets. Though being a weekend many people remained indoors, thousands were left stranded at bus stops.
In Delhi Metro, there was a huge rush as people avoided autos and buses to escape traffic snarls and getting drenched in the rain.
The water-logged streets in several areas of the national capital including Badarpur, Lajpat Nagar, Mehrauli, Kalindi kunj and many more areas, caused gridlocks, giving the traffic police a hard time.
"I was stuck in mid of Defence Colony flyover for more than an hour now. There is no respite. It's visible that even the traffic police cannot do anything in such a situation apart from diverting the routes," Raman Batra, a bank employee, told IANS.
Police said many places in Lajpat Nagar, Defence Colony, Punjabi Bagh and Seelampur were submerged, with water forcing traffic diversions at several places. The non-stop rain since early morning also spoiled a walkathon organised by the union health ministry at the India Gate to mark the World Population Day.
The daily commuters had a harrowing time on roads in the city.
"There is heavy water-logging even on the railway tracks on the Badarpur-Prahladpur Road. No traffic police constable is in sight," Sunil Shah, a businessman, told IANS.
Some people criticised the political leaders in the city for failing to tackle the mess witnessed every year during monsoon in the national capital. "I am not blaming anyone but the ministers and MLAs who are demanding salary hike, should once in a blue moon feel the misery of a common man," Shivi Bhatia, an IT professional, told IANS.
According to the civic bodies, over 200 drains were due to be cleaned. But it could not be done due to a financial crunch.
Delhi received 7.9 mm of rainfall between 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. on Saturday, the Indian Meteorological Department said. Saturday's maximum temperature was recorded at 27.9 degrees Celsius, seven notches below the season's average. The minimum temperature settled one notch below average at 26.2 degrees Celsius.
Sunday's maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 26 degrees Celsius and 22 degrees Celsius respectively.