Gurugram drowns in heavy rain, flooding; Delhi-NCR braces for more downpour

Heavy rain on Monday evening left Gurugram flooded, forcing the administration to order corporate offices and schools to shift online for Tuesday.

The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said over 100 mm of rainfall was recorded between 3 pm and 7 pm on September 1, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing an orange alert for September 2, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall.

Gurugram brought to a standstill

The downpour triggered severe waterlogging at key junctions, including IFFCO Chowk, Rajiv Chowk and Sohna Road. Traffic crawled along National Highway-48 late into the night, with cars, trucks and two-wheelers stuck for hours.

Videos shared online by commuters showed vehicles stranded and residents walking through waist-deep water. At Sikanderpur Metro station, one of the busiest interchanges, crowds struggled to navigate flooded entry gates. A leakage was also reported from the ceiling of the Signature Tower Chowk underpass.

Gurugram orders work-from-home

As rain continued, Gurugram Deputy Commissioner Ajay Kumar ordered all private offices to allow employees to work from home on Tuesday and directed schools to hold online classes.

Posting the advisory on X, he appealed to residents to “exercise caution in view of the weather conditions, avoid stepping out unnecessarily, and follow the administration’s guidelines.”

Police Commissioner Vikas Arora and the Deputy Commissioner carried out late-night inspections of NH-48 and Sohna Road to assess conditions.

Heavy rain across Delhi-NCR

In Delhi, intermittent rain through Monday slowed traffic and affected airport and metro operations. At Palam, visibility dropped from 2,500 metres at 2.30 pm to 800 metres by 3 pm, forcing airlines to issue travel advisories.

Air India and IndiGo both cautioned passengers about possible delays and urged them to check flight status before heading to the airport.

Metro rail services were disrupted on the Blue Line, particularly between Indraprastha and Barakhamba Road stations. Traffic congestion was also reported on the Delhi-Gurugram border.

Yamuna water level crosses danger level

Meanwhile, the Yamuna crossed the danger mark of 205.33 metres, touching 205.75 metres at the Old Railway Bridge on Tuesday morning. Officials said the water level was approaching the evacuation threshold of 206 metres.

The District Magistrate of Shahdara announced the suspension of traffic and public movement on Loha Pul (Old Iron Bridge) from 5 pm on Tuesday.

According to the Central Water Commission, 292,365 cusecs of water were released from Hathni Kund Barrage, 41,830 cusecs at Wazirabad, and 56,455 cusecs at Okhla. At 9 am Tuesday, the release from Hathni Kund rose further to 329,000 cusecs.

Weather forecast for Sept 2-4

The IMD has forecast cloudy skies with light to moderate rain or thundershowers for Delhi-NCR between September 2 and 4.

On Tuesday, isolated moderate showers are likely, with maximum temperatures between 30-32 degrees Celsius and minimums of 21-23 degrees Celsius, 3-5 degrees Celsius below normal.

Private forecaster Skymet said the rains were being driven by both the monsoon and an unusually active western disturbance. “Delhi will continue to see on-and-off rain till September 5,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice-president of meteorology and climate change.