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Heavy rains towards the evening hours gave much respite to Delhiites from hot and humid conditions but it brought back the problem of waterlogging in the city, resulting in traffic snarls in many areas for the second time in a week.
A woman and her two children were seriously injured as a portion of a wall collapsed in north-east Delhi amid rains.
The rains started at around six pm and lasted for about 90 minutes. The rain gauges measured 51.4 mm till 8:30 pm. The showers caught unawares many office-goers and commuters returning home. Many roads were waterlogged resulting in traffic snarls. Some vehicles also got stuck in the middle of the road affecting traffic.
The MCD Central Control Room said it got 32 complaints of waterlogging and 13 of uprooting of trees in just 40 minutes.
Chandni Chowk, West Delhi and New Delhi were the worst-affected, officials said.
The Connaught Place in the heart of the city was also affected by rains. Traffic obstructions were reported from near General Post Office, Mandir Marg, Barakhamba, Minto Road, Ranjit Singh flyover as well as Chanakya Puri.
People were seen walking in knee-deep water near Chandni Chowk and Red Fort, where vehicular movement was very slow.
Traffic snarls were reported from ITO, Vikas Marg, Satya Niketan, Wazirpur underpass, Azad Market and Mandir Marg.
Waterlogging on the road between New Friends Colony and Ashram chowk also resulted in a traffic jam. Heavy traffic was reported from Ashoka Road entry point in India Gate hexagon.
Uprooting of trees and electric poles also added to the traffic chaos on Delhi roads. The affected areas included Kingsway Camp, Ring Road and Nirankari Colony.
Rain-related traffic obstructions were also reported from Kalindi Kunj, near Apollo hospital, Hanuman Setu and Jamna Bazar. Two blueline buses and one truck developing technical problems in the middle of Mathura Road near Ashram also added to the traffic snarls.
"Heavy traffic jam was there on M B Road from Saket to Sangam Vihar. I could cover just 500 metres in an hour," said a commuter J P Gautam.
The maximum temperature, which touched 36.6 degree C during the day, plunged by several notches following the rains. The humidity was on higher side crossing 90 per cent.
The maximum recorded today was one degree above normal while the minimum settled at 28.7 degree C, two notches above normal. The city had recorded 9.2 mm of rainfall till 8.30 am.
The south-west monsoon had hit the city on July five, a week later than it was supposed to descend over the capital. However, the rains subsided soon due to shifting of the monsoon system to Himalayan foothills.