Usual suspects waterlogged, traffic slows down in various parts of Delhi

NEW DELHI: After unseasonal rains on Monday, the city suffered the usual waterlogging and the consequent traffic congestion. Delhi Traffic Police had to issue advisories on affected roads, while the Municipal Corporation of Delhi received complaints about accumulated water from at least eight places and the falling of trees in three places.
"We received complaints about waterlogging from Block C in Lajpat Nagar I, Nathupura, Rani Khera village, Mohan Estate metro station and Lajpat Nagar II," said an MCD official. "At Shivpuri, we received information about a portion of a balcony collapsing. We were told of trees falling in East of Kailash Block D, South Extension II Block C and a locality in Shahdara."
Traffic crawled on arterial roads. Reports of roads being inundated were received from Vikas Marg, ITO, Ghazipur, Chilla, Janakpuri, Punjabi Bagh, Nangloi and Saket-Chirag Dilli. Motorists driving from Noida and Ghaziabad to Delhi faced traffic congestion at several points along the Delhi-Meerut expressway.
Waterlogging also caused problems for the main Pragati Maidan tunnel near the entrances on Purana Qila Road and Mathura Road. "There was clogging in the sump area of the main tunnel, so water collected there, but was quickly cleared," claimed a PWD official.
The PWD online complaint system logged 46 complaints of water accumulation. Pul Prahladpur, a waterlogging hotspot, was flooded once again on Monday, despite the state government having claimed that steps had been taken to prevent inconvenience to motorists. A traffic officer said, "The Pul Prahladpur underpass was shut for traffic for around 45 minutes owing to waterlogging. PWD and Delhi Jal Board used pumps to drain out the water, but a power cut meant the work had to be halted from 2.16pm to 3:15pm." This underpass saw motorcyclists pushing their two wheelers to make their way through the deluge. An autorickshaw was stuck in the water in the underpass.
A portion of Press Enclave Road in Saket caved-in, the second time this has occurred since March 31. According to PWD officials, the cause of the collapse was the sewer work being carried out by DJB since 2021. There have been numerous cave-ins at different spots on the road.
People had a torrid time on the roads. "I had a meeting in Nehru Place. First, I couldn't find an attendant to guide me to a parking spot in the rain. Then the lot itself was so flooded as to make parking a vehicle difficult," said Arijit Kumar. "Due to the ongoing construction work at the Nehru Place commercial centre, the area is all messed up. You can, therefore, imagine how drenched I was when I reached the meeting venue."
Dinesh Gupta complained of how it was difficult to wait for the bus at a stop in Lajpat Nagar because there was water up to "the level of the footpath".