Waterlogging, traffic snarls persist in Gurugram, Faridabad after rain

Sohna Road, Delhi-Jaipur highway and Golf Course Road saw slow traffic as residents complained of prolonged waterlogging and difficult commutes.

A day after heavy rain disrupted life across Delhi-NCR, waterlogging and traffic congestion continued to affect several parts of Gurugram and Faridabad on Saturday, despite rainfall easing to light showers.

The IMD issued a yellow alert for Gurugram, forecasting rain in patches on Sunday, while temperatures rose 1.7°C across Haryana. (PTI)

Faridabad recorded 54mm of rain between 8am and 5.30pm on Saturday, while Gurugram received 19mm, according to district administration data. In the last 24 hours, Faridabad received 684mm and Gurugram 771mm of rainfall, according to data from the district administration.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Gurugram recorded 172mm of rainfall in the 72 hours till Friday, including 60mm till 5.30pm, and another 96.5mm till 8.30am on Saturday. Faridabad received 120mm till 8.30am on Saturday, while Sohna received 82mm and Manesar 38mm till 5.30pm on Friday. The latest IMD rainfall data for Faridabad, Sohna and Manesar was not available to HT at the time of publication.

Roads remain flooded

Vehicles wade through a flooded stretch in Sector 38 as children play along the road. (PTI)

Waterlogging from previous days slowed traffic on Sohna Road, Delhi-Jaipur highway and parts of Golf Course Road. Ritika Jain, a resident of Sohna Road, told HT, “Due to the constant rains over the past few days, the water logging on Sohna road has built up and is making it very inconvenient to drive because it causes traffic, especially in the evening.”

Another resident, Santosh Yadav, a Sector 71 resident, said, “The roads are still waterlogged, making it difficult to even reach the nearest market. It took me almost an hour to travel from MG Road to Civil Lines. The road condition is so bad that it is dangerous to drive through these roads.”

Meanwhile, a Ballabhgarh resident, requesting anonymity, said, “We have never seen this much rainfall in the area before. Roads across Faridabad were flooded, and the drainage lines could not handle the volume of water.”

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) deployed sanitation teams to clear blockages and improve drainage, while the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) undertook drain maintenance work in Sector 59. The deputy commissioner of Gurugram urged residents to work from home during the rainy period.

The IMD has issued a yellow alert for the district, forecasting rain in patches on Sunday. The state’s overall temperature rose 1.7 degrees Celsius (°C), with Karnal recording the maximum temperature at 35.6°C on Saturday. Gurugram recorded a maximum of 31.8°C and a minimum of 25.6°C, while Faridabad recorded 32°C and 26°C.

Residents said drainage systems could not handle the rainfall, while a Ballabhgarh resident described the scale of flooding as unprecedented. (HT)

Faridabad underpasses stay shut

Friday’s rain inundated more than 50 roads in Faridabad and flooded three major railway underpasses. A school bus and a Toyota Fortuner were stuck in the Old Railway Station underpass.

The Fortuner, driven by a 60-year-old man, was pulled out using cranes around 1pm on Saturday, Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority (FMDA) executive engineer Om Dutt said. The bus was later removed at around 4pm, officials added.

Dutt said the bus entered the underpass before waterlogging began but broke down, prompting its driver to leave to find a mechanic. “The school bus had entered the underpass before the waterlogging had started. But due to some fault, the bus broke down, so the driver left the bus there and went to look for a mechanic,” he said. No children were on board.

Traffic police closed the Old Railway Station, NHPC and Mewala Maharaj underpasses. Officials said the underpasses had around 20 feet of water on Friday.

“The water is being pumped out, but the underpasses will remain closed to ensure public safety,” said Yashpal Verma, spokesperson for Faridabad police.

The flooding recalled the September 13, 2024, tragedy when Punyashree Sharma, a private bank manager in Gurugram, and Viraj Dwivedi, a cashier, died after their SUV became trapped in the Old Faridabad underpass.

With inputs from Yasha Jain and Ira Rana.