New Delhi, Aug 24: Heavy rain and thunderstorms disrupted flight operations at Delhi airport on Monday, with 15 flights diverted to other cities as adverse weather conditions also led to traffic congestion and waterlogging in several parts of the national capital.
According to officials, 12 flights were diverted to Jaipur, two to Chandigarh and one to Lucknow. Three of the diverted flights were international.Several airlines issued weather-related advisories to passengers, warning that delays could affect flights arriving at and departing from Delhi as well as subsequent services on connected routes.
Passengers were advised to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued alerts for different parts of Delhi and adjoining areas, forecasting heavy to moderate rainfall along with thunderstorms, lightning and winds of 30-40 kmph.Heavy showers were reported from parts of South Delhi and neighbouring areas.
The rainfall also affected road traffic, with waterlogging reported at multiple locations.Commuters travelling between Delhi and Noida faced considerable delays as traffic movement slowed on several major roads.
Some commuters said journeys that normally take less time stretched to nearly one to one-and-a-half hours.Ghaziabad also received heavy rainfall, bringing temporary relief from hot and humid conditions but causing traffic-related inconvenience.
The ongoing spell of rain has been attributed to an active monsoon trough, a low-pressure area over Uttar Pradesh and moisture-laden winds from the Bay of Bengal. These weather systems have contributed to persistent cloud cover and rainfall over Delhi-NCR.
The IMD has indicated that similar spells of scattered rain could continue over the next two days, although hot and humid conditions are likely to return after the showers subside.The rainfall has also brought some improvement in Delhi’s air quality.
Monitoring stations recorded AQI levels below 130 at several locations, with readings of 83 at the Commonwealth Sports Complex, 88 at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range and 97 at Ashok Vihar.
While the rain has improved atmospheric conditions and lowered temperatures temporarily, authorities and commuters remain alert to possible further disruptions from continued showers.
