Ravaging Rains Cripple Delhi, Claiming Lives and Paralyzing HealthcareRavaging Rains Cripple Delhi, Claiming Lives and Paralyzing Healthcare Heavy monsoon downpours have wreaked havoc in Delhi, leaving a trail of devastation and misery. The relentless rains have claimed eight lives, paralyzed healthcare services at AIIMS, and caused widespread disruption across the city. AIIMS Healthcare Services Hampered The Neurosciences Center at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has been severely impacted by the rains. Operating rooms have been rendered inoperable due to malfunctioning air conditioning systems and water seepage from the walls. Neurosurgical procedures have been suspended, and patients are being referred to other hospitals. Death Toll Continues to Rise The rains have also taken a deadly toll on the city. Three laborers were killed when a wall collapsed at a construction site in Vasant Vihar, bringing the total number of rain-related deaths to eight. The victims were identified as Santosh Kumar Yadav, Santosh, and an unidentified individual. Government Holds Emergency Meeting The Delhi government has held an emergency meeting to address the crisis caused by the heavy rainfall. Minister Atishi has identified 200 hotspots prone to waterlogging and attributed the problem to drainage capacity being overwhelmed. A 24-hour control room has been established to monitor the situation. Infrastructure Collapse The rains have also wreaked havoc on Delhi’s infrastructure. The canopy at Delhi Airport’s Terminal-1 collapsed, killing one person and injuring four others. The airport’s Terminal-1 remains closed, and operations have been shifted to Terminals 2 and 3. Uprooted trees and water-filled underpasses have caused damage to properties and vehicles. Water Supply and Transport Affected Water supply has been affected in several areas due to a breakdown in the Chandrawal WW-II pump house. The disruption is expected to continue on Saturday. Passengers were trapped in a bus under a flooded underpass in Kishanganj but were rescued by police and rescue teams. IMD Issues Orange Warning The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for the National Capital Region (NCR) for Saturday and an orange warning for heavy rainfall until July 2. Moderate to heavy rains are forecast for the next five days, with the heaviest downpours expected on Sunday and Monday.
Heavy rains have wreaked havoc in the national capital over the past few days. Besides claiming eight lives in separate incidents, the rains have also paralyzed healthcare services at the Neurosciences Center of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi.
According to a June 28 report, all operating rooms (OTs) at the Neuroscience Center were out of service due to problems with air conditioning systems and water seeping from the walls, the news agency reported ANNI-.
Non-functional OTs
Neurosurgery was also stopped and patients were referred to Safdarjung Hospital or other government hospitals.
A message in this regard reads: “As per consultation with the NS OT Sister in-charge, MS (CNC), and the Head CN Centre, all the OTs are non-functional due to non-functioning of air-conditioners and also water seepage from the walls. Therefore, no case can be operated, all patients who come in emergency and require surgery are kindly referred to Safdarjung or any other government hospital. If there is any case which requires urgent treatment, it can kindly be admitted to the trauma centre after consultation with the concerned faculty.”
“After heavy rains, there was severe waterlogging in parts of the AIIMS Hospital, especially in the basement of the Trauma Center where heavy generators and other equipment are kept. We had to stop OTs after that, but 4 life-threatening surgeries were carried out. The Director and Additional Director took stock of the situation, but due to power outage at NDMC, our OTs were closed till 4:00 PM After power was restored, we started the OTs and operations were carried out throughout the night… The job was completed to resolve the waterlogging is underway, but the OT of AIIMS Trauma is yet to commence. We will start the OTs as soon as our electrical engineers give the go-ahead,” Rima Dada, Media Procol In-Charge of AIIMS, was quoted by as saying. ANI.
The death toll rises to 8
Meanwhile, the bodies of three labourers were pulled out from the rubble of a wall that collapsed at a construction site in Vasant Vihar area during heavy rains on Saturday, officials said.
This takes the number of deaths due to rain-related incidents in Delhi to eight.
The under-construction wall collapsed on Friday and the incident was reported to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) around 5.30 am. DFS officials said the bodies of three labourers were recovered from the rubble. Two of them have been identified as Santosh Kumar Yadav (19) and Santosh (38). The third labourer is yet to be identified.
VIDEO| Here’s what NDRF Deputy Commandant Ajit R said about the Vasant Vihar wall collapse incident in Delhi.
“NDRF control room received information about the incident at 9 am yesterday and our team reached the spot at 10 am. We started our operation, Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Brigade… pic.twitter.com/0MjfVDf90I
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 29, 2024
Five people were killed in rain on Friday as the monsoon storm hit with force, battering the city with its highest single-day rainfall in June in 88 years.
The dead included a taxi driver who died after part of a canopy collapsed at Delhi airport, a 39-year-old man who was electrocuted in Rohini’s Prem Nagar area and three people who drowned in New Usmanpur and Shalimar Bagh.
Government holds emergency meeting
The heavy rains have led to flooding, traffic jams, accidents, casualties and injuries, forcing the Delhi government to take urgent measures. An emergency meeting was held at the Delhi Secretariat where several decisions were taken to address the problems caused by the excessive rainfall.
Delhi Minister Atishi reported that 200 hotspots prone to waterlogging have been identified and attributed the problem to rainfall exceeding drainage capacity. The Delhi government has also set up a 24-hour control room to monitor the waterlogging situation, Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj has announced.
Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena also took stock of the situation and directed officials to set up an emergency control room and deploy static pumps to tackle waterlogging.
It’s raining trouble for people
The rains have brought a slew of problems to the people of Delhi as water supply has been affected in several areas in Delhi due to a breakdown in the Chandrawal WW-II pump house after heavy rains. The Delhi Jal Board said the disruption in water supply will continue on Saturday too.
Similarly, Delhi Airport’s Terminal-1 will remain closed on Saturday, a day after a portion of a canopy collapsed, killing one person and injuring four others. All aircraft movements have been shifted to Terminal-2 and Terminal-3.
Rainfall, accompanied by strong winds, also led to the uprooting of trees in many areas, causing damage to properties and cars parked in residential areas. In many residential areas, local residents had to wade through waist-deep water to leave their homes.
In another incident in Delhi’s Kishanganj area, passengers trapped in a bus under a flooded underpass were rescued by police and rescue teams. Footage showed rescue personnel, wearing life jackets, wading through the water to extract the passengers.
IMD issues orange warning
A day after Delhi witnessed heavy rains, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued an orange alert for the National Capital Region (NCR).
The IMD has forecast light to moderate rainfall for the next five days, with parts of Delhi likely to witness heavy downpours till July 1.
The weather department has issued an orange warning for heavy rainfall until July 2. The IMD said a heavier spell is expected on Sunday and Monday.
According to the department, like Delhi, Shahdara, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad will see generally cloudy skies. “Moderate to heavy rain and thundershowers accompanied by gusty winds (speed 30-40 kmph) are likely,” the weather department said.
On Saturday, IMD has forecast light to moderate intensity thunderstorms with rain over parts of Delhi-NCR, including Dwarka, Palam, Vasant Vihar, Vasant Kunj, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Manesar.
(With input from the agency)
