Orange alert as rain inundates Gurugram, chokes Delhi-Jaipur expressway

As traffic volume increased with the office rush, vehicle movement also slowed significantly between IFFCO Chowk and Rajiv Chowk.

A day after 97mm of rain lashed Gurugram within 12 hours, heavy showers continued on Thursday morning, inundating several parts of the city, disrupting traffic on key stretches, including the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway, and prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue an orange alert for southern Haryana, including Gurugram.

Vehicles wade through a waterlogged stretch following heavy rain in Gurugram on Thursday. (Parveen Kumar/ HT Photo)

Traffic snarls were reported at Narsinghpur, Manesar and Bilaspur on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway during the early morning hours. As traffic volume increased with the office rush, vehicle movement also slowed significantly between IFFCO Chowk and Rajiv Chowk.

Congestion was reported on both carriageways near the low-lying Narsinghpur stretch due to waterlogging. As traffic pressure mounted, the tailback extended up to the Cloverleaf intersection on one side and Hero Honda Chowk on the other.

Slow-moving traffic was also reported on the Jaipur-bound carriageway at Manesar. At Bilaspur, severe traffic jams developed on both carriageways, with traffic police personnel deployed to regulate vehicular movement. Service lanes along the stretch were also packed with vehicles.

According to the IMD, Gurugram recorded the highest rainfall in the region at 78.5mm during the 24-hour period ending at 8.30am on Wednesday. Gurugram district administration officials said that 97mm rainfall was recorded in Gurugram and 110mm in Sohna in just 12 hours between 8am and 8pm on Wednesday. As a result, a house meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram which was scheduled to take place on Thursday was also called off.

IMD officials said an orange alert had been issued for several parts of southern Haryana, including Gurugram, on Thursday morning.

According to the IMD, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and moderate rainfall are very likely in Gurugram, Sohna, Pataudi, Nuh, Palwal, Bhiwani, Jhajjar, Rohtak and nearby areas, with winds expected to blow at speeds of 30-40 kmph. Light rain is also likely in several other parts of southern Haryana, officials said.

Residents said rain that began around 3.15am continued through the morning, leading to widespread waterlogging across several areas of Gurugram.

Waterlogging was reported from Surat Nagar-Dhanwapur revenue road, Sectors 102, 69, 67, 49, 43, 17A, 10 and 5, Ashok Vihar, Sunset Boulevard Road, Sheetla Mata Road and South City-1.

Vikas Hooda, president of the residents’ welfare association (RWA) of Ashok Vihar Phase 3, said residential lanes in the area remained heavily waterlogged despite repeated assurances from the civic body and government officials that the problem would be resolved. “It is impossible for residents to step outside because of the waterlogging,” he said.

Savita Devi, a resident of Sector 46, said even moderate rainfall had brought the city to a standstill.

“Whenever it rains, we know that stepping out will be difficult. Roads and residential lanes are presently waterlogged, traffic has come to a crawl and Gurugram virtually comes to a standstill during the monsoon,” she said.

Meanwhile, officials of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited said ground teams had been kept on standby and instructed to respond immediately in the event of power outages.

Officials said waterlogging had led to sparking and short circuits in several areas, forcing authorities to snap power supply as a precautionary measure.

The rainfall had also caused severe waterlogging and power outages across major parts of the city on Tuesday evening.