Water outflow holds Ring Road captive

Several lanes of the busy corridor — particularly around the Kashmere Gate Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT), Qudsia Bagh, Nigam Bodh Ghat, Monastery Market and Chandgi Ram Akhara — remained under nearly two feet of water from Wednesday night through Thursday evening.

For the second day in a row, traffic on the Ring Road skirting the Yamuna in north and northeast Delhi crawled at a near-standstill as floodwater submerged multiple stretches, leaving commuters stranded and paralysing one of the Capital’s most critical arteries.

Traffic snarls as vehicles wade through a waterlogged road near ISBT, Kashmere Gate in New Delhi on Thursday. (Arvind Yadav/ Hindustan Times)

Several lanes of the busy corridor — particularly around the Kashmere Gate Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT), Qudsia Bagh, Nigam Bodh Ghat, Monastery Market and Chandgi Ram Akhara — remained under nearly two feet of water from Wednesday night through Thursday evening.

The inundation forced police to impose diversions, pump water off the road and issue repeated traffic advisories, but movement remained sluggish late into the night.

The flooding outside Kashmere Gate ISBT, which began Wednesday afternoon, intensified after midnight. By Thursday morning, this stretch of the route – a vital connector for Delhi’s north and south – was seen heavily submerged, disrupting traffic in both directions.

Waterlogging also spread to Vasudev Ghat parking, Qudsia Ghat and stretches near the IP flyover, Indraprastha Metro station and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) headquarters.

Gridlocks stretched from Wazirabad to Ashram, with tailbacks choking approach roads to Sarai Kale Khan. Traffic snarls spilled over to alternate routes including Yudhisthir Setu linking Kashmere Gate to Shastri Park, Sham Nath Marg, Netaji Subhash Marg, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Vikas Marg, NH-9, the Delhi-Meerut Expressway and the DND Flyway.

Commuters stranded

The chaos took a heavy toll on commuters. Two-wheelers, autorickshaws and cars broke down in knee-deep water. Motorists abandoned vehicles, while others waded through the muck pushing stalled scooters and rickshaws. Many gave up altogether and shifted to Delhi Metro.

“Traffic was moving at a snail’s pace on the Ring Road as Yamuna floodwater inundated some stretches, especially around the DTC headquarters and IP flyover. It took me around two hours to reach the office from my residence in the morning. I usually take 45 minutes to cover that distance,” said a motorcyclist from south Delhi, who works at a Delhi government department near ITO.

Social media filled with frustrated accounts.

“Massive Jam Between ISBT & Tees Hazari Court but Not A Single Traffic Policeman In Sight,” BJP leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor posted on X, tagging Delhi Police officials.

Deputy commissioner of police (central traffic) Nishant Gupta admitted to severe congestion on stretches of the Ring Road near the Yamuna.

“Diversions were imposed at multiple points to avoid pile-ups. The Ring Road outside Nigam Bodh Ghat and Vasudev Ghat was under nearly two feet of water. While the route wasn’t closed, we diverted light vehicles from the Sushruta Trauma Centre signal to IP College and then Yudhisthir Setu, leading them towards Shanti Van,” Gupta said.

Gupta added that police have instructed commercial bus operators at Kashmere Gate ISBT to suspend services until further notice. Heavy commercial vehicles were diverted from Sarai Kale Khan via the IP flyover towards NH-9, Vikas Marg and the Delhi-Meerut Expressway.

Apart from the Ring Road, the Old Wazirabad Bridge – a key link between north and northeast Delhi – was shut for vehicles and pedestrians after being swamped by an overflowing drain. Traffic was diverted onto the Signature Bridge.

The snarls prompted a flood of anger from residents, who blamed civic failures for allowing Yamuna water to choke the city’s lifeline. Many said they lost hours in gridlocks and faced uncertainty on how to reach offices or return home. Short distances stretched into multi-hour ordeals, while school buses and ambulances were caught in the chaos.

Commuters said the absence of visible traffic police presence at several intersections compounded the suffering. Others pointed to poor drainage and questioned why authorities had not anticipated the impact of rising river levels.

Even as pumps worked round the clock to clear floodwater, the snarls persisted, underscoring the fragility of Delhi’s infrastructure at a time when the city is already reeling with evacuation and rescue operations.