Heavy rain triggers house collapse, tree fall calls in Delhi; traffic crippled

New Delhi, Aug 7 (PTI) Delhi Fire Services (DFS) has received more than two dozen calls related to house collapses, portions of buildings giving way and fallen trees since midnight as heavy rain battered the national capital on Friday. However, no one was injured in these incidents.

According to the fire department, the calls were received between 12 am and 5.30 pm amid incessant rainfall across the city.

In one of the rain-related incidents, three women were trapped inside a house after a tree collapsed onto the structure. Firefighters rescued all of them safely, he said.

The fire department said nine calls pertained to either complete house collapses or portions of buildings giving way.

The rain pounded several parts of Delhi throughout the day, inundating roads, disrupting normal life and affecting vehicular movement across the city.

Earlier in the day, the India Meteorological Department issued a red alert for Delhi, forecasting moderate rain at many places and heavy rain at isolated places accompanied by moderate thunderstorms and lightning. Later, a few stations recorded more than 110 mm of rainfall.

The downpour led to severe waterlogging at multiple locations, slowing traffic to a crawl on several key roads. Long queues of vehicles were seen at various stretches, with many commuters taking more than two hours to reach their destinations.

Several commuters complained on social media about poor traffic management, waterlogging and the absence of timely diversion measures, saying the prolonged congestion left thousands stranded on roads during peak hours.

Authorities were working to clear fallen trees and restore normal traffic movement while civic agencies monitored vulnerable buildings and waterlogged areas as the rain continued in parts of the city. PTI