Heavy rain brings relief after hot September, but chokes traffic in Delhi

Rain coupled with the festive rush created a double whammy for Delhiites on Tuesday as they grappled with traffic snarls while heading to their destinations.

Commuters took to social media to report traffic jams near Tikona Park close to Jamia Millia Islamia and a 25-minute pile-up at the flyover near Radisson Hotel on NH-48 while heading from Delhi to Gurugram.

There was a heavy traffic jam in northwest Delhi while the areas around Netaji Subhash Place in Pitampura, along with a significant stretch of the Outer Ring Road witnessed slow movement of vehicles.

The downpour, however, brought some relief after a spell of sultry weather.

Parts of south Delhi, including the busy Mahatma Gandhi Road, NH-48, and Captain Gaur Marg from Lajpat Nagar, also witnessed severe congestion.

“Traffic was bumper-to-bumper on Mathura Road, Old Rohtak Road, parts of ITO, and the stretch from Mahatma Gandhi Road to GT Karnal Road,” a user wrote on social media.

The maximum temperature on Tuesday is expected to settle around 35 degrees Celsius, while the minimum was recorded at 28.7 degrees Celsius, 5.4 notches above normal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Relative humidity stood at 74 per cent at 8.30 am.

According to the IMD, the city is likely to witness a generally cloudy sky with light rain or drizzle through the day.

Delhi's air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 114 at 8 am, in the ‘moderate' category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The traffic police advised commuters to plan their journeys accordingly and avoid waterlogged stretches.