Waterlogging, traffic chokes Gurugram after season’s first shower: ‘Same story every year’

Several stretches across Gurugram remained inundated even after overnight rainfall, disrupting vehicular movement on key roads.

The season's first spell of monsoon rain brought Gurugram to a near standstill on Wednesday, with widespread waterlogging triggering long traffic snarls across major arterial roads and leaving thousands of office-goers and daily commuters stranded during the morning rush hour.

Vehicles wade through a waterlogged stretch amid heavy rain on the NH-48 service road near Narsinghpur village in Gurugram. (Parveen Kumar/ HT Photo)

Several stretches across the city remained inundated even after overnight rainfall, disrupting vehicular movement on key roads, including IFFCO Chowk, the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway (NH-48), Golf Course Road, Gurugram-Faridabad Road, Cyber City and Udyog Vihar. Slow-moving traffic and bottlenecks were reported from multiple intersections as vehicles navigated waterlogged roads.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for Gurugram on Wednesday, warning of continued moderate to heavy rainfall. As of 8.30 am, the city had recorded 83 mm of rainfall, while the temperature dropped by nearly 3 degrees Celsius following the showers. Track weather today live updates.

The impact of the rain was particularly visible along NH-48, where water accumulated on service lanes, forcing vehicles to crawl through flooded stretches. In several low-lying areas, commuters were seen wading through knee-deep water to reach offices and public transport points, while two-wheelers and smaller vehicles struggled to navigate submerged roads.

ACP (Traffic Headquarters and Highways) Satyapal said traffic police teams remained deployed across vulnerable locations to regulate traffic and minimise congestion.

"Traffic teams and Gurugram Police personnel are continuously working to ease congestion on roads. Traffic congestion was reported in the early hours on certain arterial roads, but the situation largely remains under control," he said.

Officials said 140 additional traffic police personnel have been deployed across the city, supported by five cranes, two hydra machines, one ambulance, 17 motorcycle patrol units and six four-wheelers to respond to traffic disruptions and vehicle breakdowns.

Anticipating severe traffic congestion, Gurugram Police had on Tuesday issued an advisory urging corporate offices and private establishments to allow employees to work from home, wherever feasible, to reduce the traffic load during heavy rainfall.

The rain also disrupted app-based cab services, with commuters reporting sharp fare surges. Several users said rides for short distances of 3-4 km were priced at nearly ₹500 due to high demand, traffic congestion and reduced vehicle availability, adding to the inconvenience caused by the city's first major monsoon spell.

Residents also reported and complained about severe waterlogging in major areas like Sohna Road, Badshahpur, Sector 67, Sector 69, Rajeev Chowk, Hero Honda Chowk, Sector 50, among others.

“The same story repeats every year. Authorities promise development, but no work is visible on the ground. The residents suffer due to this,” said a commuter on Badshahpur road.