Water enters homes, commuters struggle to find last-mile transport

Sector 28 resident Col Ranvir Singh said, “I sent messages to the flood centre and the district administration but got no response.”

Even as water receded from key intersections from the arterial Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, city’s internal roads remained inundated. Water started gushing into homes and basements in the early hours, but there was no sign of water level receding till evening even as residents used water pumps. Residents also complained that the authorities were not prompt in responding to distress calls.

Commuters wade through a waterlogged street in Sector 44, on Tuesday. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Sector 28 resident Col Ranvir Singh said, “I sent messages to the flood centre and the district administration but got no response. God knows what will happen if it were to rain again.”

“The basements of more than 30 houses were flooded. These houses were built on high ground towards the end of the colony. The situation was worse for houses in low-lying areas. Two to three feet of water continues to stand in various areas of the colony despite use of water pumps,” Singh said.

Meanwhile, many residents said the rain prevented them from reaching their workplaces. As many struggled for hours, and changed various modes of transport, to somehow reach their offices, many office-goers stayed off the road because of the fear of getting stuck in a 2016-like jam.

Shweta Kapoor, who works with an automobile firm, said it took her two hours to reach home in Sector 51 from Hero Honda Chowk after she decided to take a U-turn on seeing the water level. “I was stuck at Hero Honda Chowk. I feared that this might be another version of the 2016 Gurujam,” she said.

Last-mile connectivity in particular was a cause of concern for those commuting to the city from other NCR areas.

Gunashrit Nag, senior consultant with a management firm, had to return home after he failed to get a cab from IFFCO Chowk Metro station to his office. “I left my house in Anand Niketan in Delhi for Gurugram around 8.15am. I got down at IFFCO Chowk to avail my office’s shuttle service, but the car couldn’t make it. The water had reached the stairs of the station. I took the Metro back home after waiting for two hours,” said Nag.