Little rain, city thrown out of gear

NEW DELHI: Rains, waterlogging and peak hour are a deadly mix if they happen to coincide. No one probably knows this better than a Delhiite racing against time to reach his office or to keep an appointment.
It rained heavily in parts of the city on Wednesday — but waterlogging woes were more widespread.
The met department said the city received 13.4 mm of rain, but the snarls across the city made it seem like a deluge.Reports of waterlogging poured in from many parts of the city, with the lion''s share from south Delhi, where it rained more heavily than other areas.
Harassed commuters were seen stuck in knee deep water, trying to navigate instead of simply driving their vehicles.
"Almost two feet of water had accumulated under the Apollo Hospital flyover. I could see people trying to get their half-submerged cars out of the pool of water. Others had slowed down, contemplating if they should negotiate the stretch," said Aroopa Sharma, a Faridabad resident.
The scene was no different at other places where flyovers are located or are coming up. A pool of water had accumulated under the ITO flyover, slowing down traffic on the Ring Road and Vikas Marg.
The pile up effect of the waterlogging at the flyover was felt by commuters travelling towards ITO from Patparganj and Connaught Place.
The story was repeated at Moolchand flyover, Chirag Dilli flyover and the upcoming flyover opposite KV Andrews Ganj.
"There was a huge traffic jam at Lajpat Nagar because of waterlogging at Moolchand. The mess cleared up only about 4 pm in the evening," said Tushar Rakshit, a Lajpat Nagar-II resident.
"In fact the entire stretch from Moolchand to Nehru Place was waterlogged at little distances, slowing down the traffic considerably," added Rakshit. Aurobindo Marg T-point, Hauz Khas and some internal roads of Lajpat Nagar were also affected.
Kaveri Mishra, a resident of East of Kailash had a tough time negotiating through the chaotic traffic near Lajpat Nagar market. "Mid-way, I had to drop my plans of shopping," she complained.