Heavy rains lash Delhi, cause massive jams, water-logging

New Delhi: Heavy rainfall lashed the national capital today, flooding almost all arterial roads in the city and throwing traffic out of gear. Roads in and around Delhi were flooded as drains overflowed and rain beat down with intensity for around four hours shortly after 11 am.

Massive traffic snarls were reported in almost all areas due to water-logging as well as non-functional traffic signals. Bumper-to-bumper traffic was witnessed at major intersections such as ITO, Laxmi Nagar, Moti Bagh, Kashmere Gate, Munirka, Dwarka and Dhaula Kuan. Several vehicles have also broken down in the middle of the road due to the water-logging. (See pics)

The Delhi Police, in traffic advisories on Twitter, said the Mathura Road, Old Fort and Karkarduma metro station should be avoided.

Pictures posted on micro-blogging site, Twitter, show severe water-logging at the Indira Gandhi Airport. (See pics) There were also reports of flooding at some of the metro stations. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) shut down the Malviya Nagar station after water-logging.

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As rains continued to drench Delhi, commuters had a hard time in most parts of the city as visibility also dropped slightly. Pedestrians were seen wading through streets flooded by overflowing drains.

"It took me 40 minutes to reach the Akshardham metro station from my home, a distance which I cover within five minutes every day. Traffic was moving very slow," said Ridhi Chouhan, who works at a private bank in Noida. (Share your info, pics)

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"I had to shell out Rs 180 (for an auto) from my home in Munirka to my office at Connaught Place today. On normal days, the fare is not more than Rs 100," said Ashok Ojha, who works at a telecom company.

"Water has entered my house and the drawing room is almost flooded," said Ranjana Narayan, resident of Sarojini Nagar in south Delhi.

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In Moti Nagar in west Delhi, water entered the balcony of a cinema hall.