Heavy rain batters Delhi-NCR, flights disrupted, Gurugram issues WFH advisory

New Delhi: Heavy rain lashed Delhi-NCR on Monday, causing widespread waterlogging, traffic snarls, and flight disruptions, while authorities in Gurugram issued advisories asking offices to allow employees to work from home and schools to shift to online classes.

In Delhi’s Tughlakabad, heavy rainfall caused around two feet of waterlogging at a Delhi Development Authority (DDA) park, while surrounding roads were also inundated.

Massive waterlogging was also witnessed in Delhi’s Najafgarh following the heavy downpour.

Heavy rain also caused severe waterlogging on Baba Kharak Singh Marg in the NDMC area, with roads around Shivaji Stadium submerged and traffic movement affected. Similar scenes were reported from the Zakhira underpass as heavy rain lashed several parts of Delhi-NCR.

Meanwhile, the Gurugram administration asked offices to allow employees to work from home and schools to conduct classes in online mode after heavy rainfall once again overwhelmed the city’s civic infrastructure.

Though it rained for only about an hour, residents of the ‘Millennium City’ known for its high-end residential complexes, large malls and corporate offices complained that the collapse of civic infrastructure is repeated whenever the city receives prolonged rainfall.

The district administration said Gurugram received 70 mm of rainfall by 1.30 p.m. Key areas, including Rajiv Chowk, IFFCO Chowk, Railway Road, Sector 5, Old Delhi Road, Mehrauli Road and Basai Road, were among the worst affected.

Videos and photographs of motorists abandoning their vehicles after getting stranded on flooded roads were widely shared on social media. Students walking home from school were seen moving towards higher ground, including bus stops built on raised platforms, to avoid open manholes concealed beneath muddy floodwaters.

The rain also slowed traffic on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway, forcing thousands of vehicles to crawl at a snail’s pace.

The stretch from Signature Tower to Hero Honda Chowk, which usually takes around 15 minutes to cover, took at least 50 minutes on Monday, commuters said.

A large section of the expressway near Cyber Hub, opposite the Gateway Tower Metro station, was submerged, disrupting traffic on the major thoroughfare. Sheetla Mata Road, which has emerged as one of Gurugram’s flood-prone locations this monsoon, was also among the worst affected.

Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in Delhi also disrupted flight operations, affecting arrivals and departures at the Indira Gandhi International Airport and triggering delays across connected routes.

A total of 15 flights were diverted from Delhi airport due to adverse weather conditions, including three international flights.

Of these, 12 flights were diverted to Jaipur, two to Chandigarh, and one to Lucknow.

IANS