Arya News - Heavy monsoon rains brought Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to a standstill on Monday, flooding roads, disrupting air traffic and leaving commuters stranded across several parts of the capital and neighbouring cities.
NEW DELHI – Heavy monsoon rains brought Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to a standstill on Monday, flooding roads, disrupting air traffic and leaving commuters stranded across several parts of the capital and neighbouring cities.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for parts of Delhi and warned of more heavy rain, thunderstorms, and lightning through the day.
The rain also affected flight operations, with 15 Delhi-bound flights diverted from the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Twelve flights, including three international services, were diverted to Jaipur, while two landed in Chandigarh and one in Lucknow.
Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, recorded 34.6 mm, in IMD’s ‘moderate’ category, while rainfall sharply varied across other regions of Delhi. Intense spells were witnessed in Janakpuri (70 mm) and Ayanagar (69.1 mm), with both stations recording precipitation in the ‘heavy’ category. Palam (58.2 mm), Ridge (43.2 mm), and Lodi Road (41.7 mm), followed with moderate showers.
In the NCR, Faridabad recorded 58 mm, Gurugram’s NorthCap University observatory measured 38 mm, and Ghaziabad received 13 mm between 8:30 am and 5:30 am on Monday, according to IMD’s evening bulletin.
According to the IMD, rainfall up to 15.5 mm is classified as light, 15.6 mm to 64.4 mm as moderate, and 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm as heavy rainfall.
The downpour left several parts of Delhi waterlogged, including Munirka, Zakhira underpass, Connaught Place, Durga Vihar, Sangam Vihar, New Ashok Nagar Metro Station, Burari, C.R. Park, and Alaknanda. In Connaught Place, parking lots were submerged, with several cars standing in knee-deep water. In South Delhi’s Sangam Vihar, young girls returning from school were seen pushing their van after it became stuck in flooded streets, while several others waded through thigh-deep water.
The weather also crippled road traffic across the city, with long jams reported from key stretches as vehicles crawled through flooded roads. The IMD warned that heavy rainfall could lead to traffic disruption, accidents, power outages, and damage to vulnerable structures, advising people to avoid unnecessary travel during intense spells.
In Old Delhi, a portion of a dilapidated building collapsed in Chandni Mahal during the rain, damaging three to four parked two-wheelers. No injuries were reported. In Sangam Vihar, schoolchildren were seen pushing their stranded school van through flooded streets after it became stuck in water.
In neighbouring Ghaziabad, the Delhi-Saharanpur Road in Loni was flooded and damaged, with an autorickshaw overturning on the waterlogged stretch. No injuries were reported.
The impact was much more severe in Gurugram, where barely an hour of rain overwhelmed the city’s drainage system. The district administration advised offices to allow employees to work from home and schools to switch to online classes after the city received around 70 mm of rainfall by early afternoon.
Major stretches, including Rajiv Chowk, IFFCO Chowk, Old Delhi Road, Railway Road, Mehrauli Road, Basai Road and NH-48, witnessed severe waterlogging and traffic snarls. Several motorists abandoned stalled vehicles on flooded roads, while schoolchildren took shelter on raised bus stops to avoid submerged roads and hidden open manholes. Waterlogging was also reported from South City-1, Sector 29, Sector 45, Sector 52A, Sohna Road, DLF Phase 3, Ardee City, and Narsinghpur.
The weather office said moderate rainfall with heavy showers at isolated places was likely to continue through Monday, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds, before rainfall activity eases on Tuesday. The forecast indicated generally cloudy skies with light to moderate rain on Tuesday, followed by drier conditions later in the week.
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