Torrential rains on Monday brought Delhi and surrounding NCR regions, including Gurugram, to a grinding halt, triggering massive traffic snarls, waterlogging, and disruptions in road, rail, and air travel.
Major arterial roads across the national capital witnessed bumper-to-bumper traffic, particularly in South Delhi and along key Ring Road stretches. Flooded streets in areas like Mahatma Gandhi Road, NH-48, Captain Gaur Marg, and parts of Pitampura and Vasant Vihar caused severe congestion, leaving commuters stranded for hours.
Metro operations were also hit, with technical glitches on the Blue and Yellow lines causing overcrowding at major stations including Rajiv Chowk. This marks the third technical snag reported on the Delhi Metro network in just a week.
A technical advisory issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) placed most of Delhi under an 'orange alert' for heavy to very heavy rainfall through Monday night. A ‘yellow alert’ was also in effect earlier in the day.
A flood warning was issued in Delhi on Monday by the Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department after discharge from Haryana’s Hathnikund barrage rose to over 3.22 lakh cusecs, the highest this season.
Officials warned that water levels in the Yamuna could cross the danger mark of 205.33 m at the Old Railway Bridge (ORB), which serves as a key observation point for tracking the river’s flow , by September 2 evening, reaching around 206 m due to heavy rainfall in the upper Yamuna catchment.
The warning issued by the Central Flood Control Room in-charge said the discharge had exceeded 3 lakh cusecs.
“As the water level of ORB may cross the danger level and is likely to exceed 206.50 m… all sector officers are hereby advised to keep a strict vigil in their respective areas and to take necessary action at vulnerable points. People residing within the river embankments shall be warned and shifted to safer places,” the warning read.
The surge in water levels is being driven by releases from Haryana’s Hathnikund barrage, where around 3.29 lakh cusecs of water were discharged at 9 am on Monday. The Wazirabad barrage released 38,900 cusecs of water, prompting flood alerts.
Delhi Divisional Commissioner Neeraj Semwal said that over 3 lakh cusecs of water are expected to be released over the next couple of days. Water discharged from the barrage typically takes 48 to 50 hours to reach the capital, raising the likelihood of a steady rise in river levels through mid-week.
Officials warned that continuous rainfall in the upper catchment areas of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh has added to the inflow, compounding the threat of inundation. A flood advisory issued on Monday evening stated that the water level at ORB may cross 206.50 metres by Tuesday evening.
Air travel was equally chaotic, with over 95 incoming flights and more than 350 departures delayed at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Airlines including IndiGo, Air India, Akasa, and SpiceJet issued advisories urging passengers to check flight status before heading to the airport.
In Gurugram, where over 100 mm of rainfall was recorded between 3 pm and 7 pm, authorities issued a work-from-home advisory for all private offices and directed schools to shift to online classes for Tuesday, September 2, in anticipation of continued heavy downpours.
Authorities remain on high alert as the IMD forecasts further rain through the week.
Around 5,000 people live directly on the Yamuna floodplain, while nearly 15,000 residents in six districts stay in low-lying zones most vulnerable to rising waters. Many of these areas fall in east and northeast districts.
(With inputs from Agencies)