New Delhi: Incessant heavy rainfall since Wednesday night has brought Delhi-NCR to a standstill, triggering widespread waterlogging, traffic snarls and disruption across the national capital and its satellite cities on Thursday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red and orange alerts as heavy monsoon showers lashed the region, with Delhi recording 228.1 mm of rainfall.
The IMD has forecast wind speeds of 40-50 kmph, gusting up to 60 kmph, over South East Delhi, East Delhi, Shahdara, Central Delhi, North East Delhi, South Delhi, New Delhi, South West Delhi, West Delhi, North West Delhi and North Delhi.
In Delhi, Mehrauli-Badarpur (MB) Road emerged as one of the worst-hit stretches, where severe waterlogging led to a complete traffic blockade. Vehicles were seen partially submerged as the drainage system failed to cope with the downpour.
Similar flooding was reported in Burari, while NH-24 near Akshardham and the Ghazipur stretch witnessed massive traffic congestion due to water accumulation. Traffic officials and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) are engaged in clearing the water.
Despite the record rainfall, authorities said targeted civic action, including preemptive desilting and clearing of major stormwater drains such as those in Narela and Dwarka, helped prevent widespread flooding in several areas. Key underpasses, including NHPC Chowk, remained operational. However, Geeta Colony continued to witness significant water accumulation after intense spells of rain.
In South Delhi’s East of Kailash, Raja Dhir Singh Marg witnessed the collapse of two massive trees late Wednesday night for the second consecutive day. The trees fell within a distance of around 600 metres of each other, one near the ISKCON Temple and the other near the National Heart Institute.
One car was trapped under the debris, though no injuries were reported. On Tuesday, two luxury cars were crushed after a tree fell on the same stretch. Traffic police were deployed to manage the disruption.
Local resident Karan Agarwal said the trees fell one after another due to the heavy rain, causing major blockages on the road.
The impact of the rain extended across NCR. In Noida, roads in Sectors 75 and 115 were submerged, making commuting difficult, while in Ghaziabad, Indirapuram, Abhay Khand and Shastri Nagar witnessed severe flooding, forcing people to wade through knee-deep water.
Residents blamed poor civic infrastructure for the recurring problem.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta reviewed the situation and directed all administrative agencies to remain on “high alert” to minimise the impact of the rainfall.
“The Delhi Government is working on a war footing to tackle the waterlogging situation. All government agencies are on high alert following orders from Chief Minister Rekha Gupta,” the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) stated.
Dedicated teams from the Public Works Department (PWD), Delhi Jal Board and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) have been deployed across the city to clear waterlogged areas and ensure smoother traffic movement.
According to the IMD, Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh and Punjab are expected to receive isolated to scattered rainfall on July 10, while isolated heavy rainfall has also been forecast for the region.
