Usual monsoon misery returns across Delhi-NCR

Delhi and its surrounding areas experienced a typical monsoon nightmare on Friday, with waterlogged roads, slow-moving traffic, and long traffic jams just a week before the 18th BRICS Summit was set to take place. The worst of the congestion occurred on the Delhi-Gurugram expressway, where a ten-kilometer traffic snarl left thousands stranded for hours.

Vikas Kumar, who was traveling from Gurugram to Delhi, said he had been stuck for three hours and estimated it could take two to three more hours to clear the stretch. Narayan Acharya, who had traveled from Gurugram to Kathmandu, was also caught in the jam for two-and-a-half hours. The immediate cause of the waterlogging was severe near Shiv Murti, Gurugram traffic police officials said, and traffic was diverted to Aya Nagar from Iffco Chowk.

Delhi traffic police had installed dewatering pumps near Shiv Murti, as the main drain there was not functioning. The deluge extended beyond the expressway, affecting various parts of Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, and Ghaziabad. In Delhi, areas around Connaught Place and Mahipalpur were particularly affected, with children playing in knee-deep rainwater.

Gurugram's drainage system also struggled, with areas like Sheetla Mata Road and Mahavir Road experiencing severe flooding. The intense rainfall was recorded at several stations, with Delhi's Safdarjung station receiving 32.6mm of rain and Palam receiving 75.6mm. Meteorologists attributed the heavy rain to a monsoon trough moving through the region.

The incident raised questions about the NCR's preparedness for monsoon season, despite repeated claims of improved drainage and infrastructure.