Rain lashes Delhi, Gurugram, causes severe waterlogging and traffic jams

The residents of Delhi and Gurugram woke up to moderate rain on Friday morning that caused waterlogging in several areas and leading to traffic jams. Intense rain in Gurugram this week has raised concerns about the public infrastructure and the lack of solutions for repeated problems of inundation and traffic.

The India Meteorological Department has predicted fairly widespread light and moderate showers in the Delhi-NCR till September 14. The rain has caused major disruptions in both Delhi and Gurugram, due to which a yellow alert was issued on Wednesday.

Visuals show commuters struggling to get through flooded areas as they travel for work or school, such as in Baprola. Other areas such as RK Puram, Munirka, Najafgarh road, Moti Bagh, etc. have also faced the brunt of the rain.

Gurugram, on Wednesday, came to a standstill due to a lack of an adequate drainage system. Narhari Singh Bangar, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram’s commissioner, told a reporter, the city’s infrastructure limitations needed to be addressed to solve the problems of waterlogging and traffic.

He said, “While we have set up pumps and coordinated with traffic police to clear jams, the underlying drainage issues need more substantial long-term solutions.”

Delhi faces similar issues, as 11.3 mm of rain between 8:30 am to 5:30 pm created major traffic jams, blocking city roads, on Thursday as per the IMD.

Rain is expected to decrease in intensity over the weekend. IMD officials stated that rain in both cities had picked up due to the proximity of a monsoon trough to Delhi-NCR. Two cyclonic circulations over southeast Rajasthan and Haryana as well as a western disturbance are also having an impact on the rain patterns in the region, according to the IMD.