NEW DELHI: The transport department has deployed officials from the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) at areas prone to waterlogging including the underpasses to prevent buses from getting stuck, officials said. “DTC teams have been deployed at all the places and underpasses where there is a possibility of waterlogging,” said Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot.The development came after many roads and underpasses were inundated with the rainwater on Friday morning and led to a flood-like situation promoting authorities to close down many routes to control the traffic. The Pragati Maidan tunnel has also been closed until further notice, Delhi Traffic Police said. The situation has caused a major disruption in vehicular movement. Visuals from various parts of the city show several areas inundated with water, leading to long traffic jams which affected commuters, especially, office-goers. At the New Delhi Railway Station, people had to walk through knee-deep water, carrying children to navigate the flooded roads.The rains also impacted the airway and metro transport. Water filled metro stations in some areas, adding to the discomfort of the commuters. Meanwhile, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation suspended the shuttle services from Delhi Aerocity Metro station to Terminal 1 of IGI Airport.On the other hand, residents woke up to heavily waterlogged streets that brought the city to a standstill. Traffic was severely impacted across the city. “As my car was completely submerged underwater, and I was unable to book a cab online, I had to walk to the nearest metro station. After trying to make my way through flooded streets for about an hour, I gave up and came back home,” said Nitesh Rathi, a resident of Vasant Vihar.The situation at the New Delhi Railway Station was no better with passengers forced to carry their luggage through flooded roads leading up to the station. Ahead of the monsoon, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) made tall claims about the city’s preparedness for rains. Mayor Shelly Oberoi said that the MCD had successfully desilted 92 per cent of drains. However, the situation on the ground paints an entirely different picture, with residents in various localities pointing to clogged drains as the major cause of flooding. “It’s the same story year after year. As soon as we receive heavy rainfall, the drains clog up and the streets turn into a river. I have given up all hope from the authorities,” said Shreya Singhal, a resident of Green Park.Responding to the waterlogged conditions, the mayor said, “The situation is far better than the last time. In a way, this is the first rain of monsoon. All such points have been identified today. All departments and officers are working on the ground. People of Delhi won’t face this situation after today.”Over 300 complaints ON waterloggingThe civic agencies and police on Friday received over 300 complaints regarding the waterlogging issues from across Delhi. Similarly, the calls related to the traffic and falling of trees have also reached to these departments.Peak power demand grew 3.8x on hot and humid daysThe national capital recorded a sizable jump in temperature-related electricity demand in the last 12 months, with peak demand rising by an average of 711 megawatts (MW) on the hottest and most humid days, according to a new analysis published on Friday
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