Rain fury: One feared drowned, Ravana effigies damaged ahead of Dussehra

The rain threw the city into chaos, leaving arterial roads waterlogged, traffic crawling, and metro concourses inundated. Just two days before Navratri festivities peak on Dussehra (October 2), the rain put a literal dampener on celebrations

A man in his 30s is feared to have drowned after falling into a drain in south Delhi’s Mehrauli during Tuesday’s heavy downpour, a police officer said, adding that the area, close to a dargah, is prone to waterlogging and overflowing drains whenever it rains.

Effigies of Ravana lie drenched in the downpour at Tagore Garden in New Delhi, on Tuesday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

The man, identified as Devendra, is suspected to have slipped into the drain on Tuesday morning and was swept away by the current. A search operation continued till late evening but he was not found. Authorities said the search will resume on Wednesday morning.

The heavy rain did not just threaten lives— it also threw the city into chaos, leaving arterial roads waterlogged, traffic crawling, and metro concourses inundated. Just two days before Navratri festivities peak on Dussehra (October 2), the rain put a literal dampener on celebrations, with scores of Ravana effigies soaked, torn, and floating in pools of water. Ramlila organisers were seen rushing to repair flooded grounds where rehearsals were underway.

Several stretches maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD), including Ring Road near ITO, Rohtak Road, Mathura Road, and the Mehrauli-Badarpur corridor, were waterlogged, leading to long tailbacks during peak hours. While most underpasses were cleared quickly, the Zakhira flyover remained flooded for nearly an hour, forcing traffic diversions.

“Zakhira underpass has been a persistent waterlogging hotspot. Repairs started soon after the monsoon, and the entire drainage in the area is being upgraded. That led to more flooding after the downpour,” a PWD official said.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) reported waterlogging in multiple neighbourhoods, including Tughlaqabad, Uttam Nagar, Nawada, and Sangam Vihar. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) also faced disruptions, with water seeping into concourse areas of Janakpuri West, Uttam Nagar, and South Extension stations. Staff halted escalators in elevated sections as a precaution.

“Some water was there due to the heavy downpour. It was cleared quickly. Severe waterlogging on the roads poured into some of the stations which drained out quickly,” a DMRC official said.

The rain affected IGI Airport too, with at least five flights diverted to Jaipur between 12:15 pm and 12:30 pm due to gusty winds and lightning. Several other flights faced delays averaging 30 minutes. Uprooted trees added to the disruption, particularly in Janakpuri, Delhi Cantt’s Cariappa Marg, and Rajendra Nagar.

Artisans in west Delhi’s Titarpur were hit hard, with families giving final touches to Ravana effigies towering up to 30 feet. By late evening, images of effigy heads bobbing in flooded lanes circulated on social media.

“All of my effigies got soaked as I don’t have a waterproof tent. I am looking at losses of around ₹10–15 lakh. I will have to repair them and spend double on labour to ensure they are ready by October 2,” said Jai Prakash Vimal, owner of Shiv Vihar-based Swami Ji Craft Wale, who has 36 orders to deliver across Delhi.

Others, such as Mahendra and Subhash Ravan Wale, had 25 effigies bound for Noida, Gurugram, and Faridabad. They said 85% of their paper and bamboo structures were destroyed.

“We had completed nearly 90% of the work and were just assembling the body parts, but the rain has damaged the paper and bamboo structures. Some effigies are beyond repair,” said Ram Avtar, an artisan who has been crafting effigies here for three decades.

Effigy makers said the paper and bamboo structures should dry out in two days, provided it does not rain on Wednesday.

Ramlila grounds were also impacted, with Rajouri Garden’s tallest Ravana left drenched, and Chandni Chowk organisers struggling to pump out water from rehearsal areas.

“We have got more dry sand to cover the wet patches,” said a committee member.

Despite the chaos, crowds continued to throng Ramlila pandals on Tuesday evening, as organisers scrambled to erect waterproof tents and raised seating areas in preparation for the ritual burning of effigies on October 2.