Rain wreaks havoc in Delhi, traffic choked on major routes

New Delhi, July 20

Moderate to heavy rains wreaked havoc in the national capital on Wednesday, throwing traffic out of gear at multiple locations as commuters navigated through waterlogged roads.

Snarls of up to over an hour were witnessed in Lutyens’ Delhi with vehicles crawling on Sardar Patel Marg, Dhaula Kuan and routes leading to the airport and Gurugram.

People uploaded photos and videos of rains flooding residential areas and flooded roads. Police advised people to check the weather before leaving.

In a purported video on social media, a mohalla clinic is seen flooded and doctors appealing authorities to fix the problem. However, PTI could not independently check the veracity of the video.

Traffic was affected on NH8 in both the carriageways from Dhaula Kuan towards Gurugram and vice-versa due to waterlogging.

Commuters had a “nightmarish experience” to reach their homes as vehicles crawled on city roads due to waterlogging.

“Delhi gets flooded even with slightest of rain followed by long traffic snarls. It is a nightmarish experience as I was stuck in traffic jams and reached home around an hour late from my office in central Delhi,” said Joginder Sethi, a resident of New Ashok Nagar.

Another commuter Lata Chauhan said the traffic was bad due to waterlogging at a number of places.

“Authorities should do something to fix this issue,” she said.

“It took me over two hours to reach Gurugram border from Dhaula Kuan. The traffic was crazy on both sides,” said Shubham Joshi, another commuter.

“I have a flight to catch and I have been on the road for over an hour. I fear that I will miss the flight,” said Ribhu, who was travelling from Manesar to the Delhi airport.

Other areas where traffic was affected was Najafgarh Road near Tooda Mandi, on Ring Road in both the carriageway from Naraina to Moti Bagh and vice-versa due to waterlogging under Dhaula Kuan flyover.

Traffic was also affected at Mahipalpur Chowk, on Rangpuri Chowk and on Najafgarh Phirni road due to waterlogging near Dhansa Stand and Bahadurgarh stand.

The Delhi Traffic police also advised the commuters to avoid the Aurbindo stretch from INA to AIIMS, Moochand Underpass on Ring Road, Aurbindo Marg from IIT to Adhchini and MB Road near Vayusenabad due to waterlogging and vehicle breakdown in south district.

“Traffic is affected on New Rohtak Road in the carriageway from Anand Parbat towards Zakhira due to waterlogging opp. Gali No. 10, Anand Parbat. Kindly avoid the stretch,” the police tweeted.

Moderate to heavy rain and gusty winds pummeled Delhi on Wednesday, forcing diversion of at least seven flights and paralysing road traffic in the city.

Strong winds uprooted trees and snapped power and internet cables in several areas, throwing parts of the national capital into chaos.

According to civic authorities, as many as five complaints of tree felling were reported from Dwarka Sector-1, Tughlakabad village, Delhi Gate, Paschim Vihar and Netaji Subhash Place.

The showers provided much-needed respite from the heat, but brought the familiar sight of snaking lines of vehicles stuck on waterlogged roads for interminable minutes.

The Safdarjung observatory, Delhi’s primary weather station, recorded 52.4 mm of rainfall, and maximum temperature of 35.1 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year.

Traffic movement in parts of Delhi is likely to be affected on Thursday due to anticipated protests over the questioning of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi by the ED and an increase in the number of kanwariyas passing through the city.

According to a senior Delhi Police official, in view of the ongoing parliament session, adequate security and traffic arrangements have been made to deal with any “contagious situation” which may arise due to the protests over the Congress chief’s questioning.

Meanwhile, some roads near the Congress office have already been barricaded by police in anticipation of the protests on Thursday.