Gurugram: A few hours of heavy rain were enough to throw Gurugram into chaos on Monday, with water filling major roads, traffic moving at a snail’s pace and commuters struggling to get home. With more rain expected, the district administration has advised offices to allow employees to work from home on August 25, while schools have been asked to shift to online classes.
Gurugram received around 70 mm of rain by 1:30 pm, according to the district administration. The downpour lasted for about an hour but caused widespread waterlogging across the city.
Some of the worst hit areas included Rajiv Chowk, IFFCO Chowk, Railway Road, Sector 5, Old Delhi Road, Mehrauli Road and Basai Road. Several other stretches were also under water, making it difficult for cars, buses and two wheelers to move.
For daily commuters, the situation was particularly frustrating. Traffic on the Delhi Jaipur Expressway was badly affected, with the drive from Signature Tower to Hero Honda Chowk taking around 50 minutes, compared with the usual 15 minutes. Waterlogging was also reported near Cyber Hub, opposite Gateway Tower Metro station, while Sheetla Mata Road was among the other stretches hit by flooding.
School children and their parents also faced a difficult afternoon. Several school buses reportedly got stuck in waterlogged roads, leaving children waiting for hours as parents tried to reach them. The situation added to the already heavy traffic on several key routes.
The weather also disrupted air travel. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport saw flight diversions and delays as heavy rain and thunderstorms affected operations. Reports said 15 Delhi bound flights were diverted, while hundreds of flights were affected by delays and cancellations. One report put the total number of affected flights at 397, including 26 cancellations and 15 diversions.
Airlines, including Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet, advised passengers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport and keep extra travel time in hand.
The latest disruption comes as the India Meteorological Department has warned of more heavy rain and thunderstorms across parts of Delhi NCR.
For Gurugram, Monday’s rain was a familiar monsoon problem but on a scale that quickly affected almost every part of daily life from office commutes and school buses to highways and flights. With another difficult day possible on Tuesday, authorities are hoping the work from home and online class advisory will keep people off the already congested roads.
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