Delhi-NCR Reels Under Heavy Downpour as Waterlogging Chokes Traffic

And disrupting normal life across the region. Hours of relentless showers left several arterial roads submerged, stranded vehicles in waterlogged stretches and forced thousands of commuters to navigate long delays during the morning and evening rush hours.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said moderate to heavy rainfall would continue through Friday before gradually tapering off from Saturday. Light showers are expected to persist over the next two days.

Among the worst-affected locations was South Delhi’s Mehrauli-Badarpur (MB) Road, where water accumulated up to three to four feet deep near Vayusena Bad (Air Force Station). The flooded stretch resembled a river, leaving vehicles stranded and traffic virtually at a standstill.

Waterlogging was also reported from Okhla Mor, Khanpur, Sangam Vihar, Deoli and Ambedkar Nagar, with traffic moving at a snail’s pace for several kilometres. Motorcycles and auto-rickshaws stalled after entering the submerged sections, while office-goers remained trapped in lengthy traffic jams.

Visuals from the area showed Air Force personnel using military trucks to cross the flooded road near the Air Force Station as motorists struggled to navigate the inundated stretch.

The disruption extended across the capital. Major congestion was reported from ITO, Wazirabad Road, Patel Road, Rohtak Road, Shankar Road, Kirti Nagar, Peeragarhi, Shaheen Bagh and the Delhi-Jaipur Highway. In East Delhi, GT Road, GTB Enclave and Dilshad Garden also witnessed severe waterlogging, while flooding was reported from Dakshinpuri, Okhla, Sangam Vihar, Sainik Farms and several other low-lying areas.

According to the IMD, Delhi’s primary weather station at Safdarjung recorded 59.2 mm of rainfall till 8.30 am on Friday. Lodhi Road received 60.4 mm, Ridge recorded 57 mm, Ayanagar logged 26.2 mm and Palam measured 16.9 mm during the same period.

IMD scientist Ankit said moderate to heavy showers would continue through Friday before rainfall activity weakens from Saturday. Light rain is expected on August 8 and 9.

The weather department has also issued a yellow alert for isolated parts of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, while eastern Rajasthan remains under an orange alert due to the likelihood of heavy to very heavy rainfall. A low-pressure area is also expected to develop over eastern India within the next 24 hours, potentially triggering intense rainfall over Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha.

In Noida, an ambulance remained stranded for more than 30 minutes inside a flooded underpass near the Mahamaya Flyover. The vehicle was not carrying any patient at the time.

“We have been stuck here for the last half an hour. We have not received any help so far. The ambulance is not carrying any patients,” driver Vijay Srivastava said.

In neighbouring Gurugram, rainwater flooded the basement of the Civil Hospital and entered parts of the ground floor, forcing authorities to suspend all medical services operating from the lower level.

The injection room was among the worst-affected facilities as water entered treatment areas and hospital corridors. Patients and attendants faced considerable inconvenience while officials worked to drain out the water and restore services.

Weather officials said fresh feeder bands moving from northwest Uttar Pradesh were expected to trigger another spell of moderate to heavy rainfall across Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad until around 9 pm on Friday. Although rainfall intensity is likely to reduce later in the night, light showers may continue until midnight.

By 5 pm, several parts of the NCR had already recorded more than 100 mm of rainfall. Faridabad’s Sector 17 received the highest rainfall at 119.4 mm since midnight, while forecasters said isolated pockets of Delhi, Noida and Faridabad could cross the 150 mm mark later in the evening.

With waterlogged roads, overflowing drains and traffic congestion persisting across the region, authorities urged commuters to avoid non-essential travel as another spell of rain threatened to worsen conditions before weather activity gradually subsides over the weekend.