The Delhi-National Capital Region continued to battle adverse weather conditions on Tuesday as incessant downpours threw daily life completely out of gear. Heavy monsoon showers early in the morning brought vehicular movement, pedestrian commutes, and flight schedules to a grinding halt across the capital and its surrounding districts. Long bumper-to-bumper queues of cars and two-wheelers were witnessed on crucial thoroughfares leading to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) as well as the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. This followed a spell of torrential overnight rain on Monday that had already choked major arteries connecting Delhi to Gurugram, Ghaziabad, and Noida. Beyond surface transport, aviation services also felt the pinch, with at least 15 flights experiencing disruptions at IGI Airport due to the inclement weather.
Fallen Tree in Dwarka and Waterlogging Alerts at Azad Market Undercrossing
The relentless downpour resulted in several civic hazards, including uprooted trees and severe waterlogging, compounding commuters' woes. In Dwarka, a large tree crashed onto Main Road Number 201, blocking the stretch leading from the Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT) towards the 3/13 Red Light. The Delhi Traffic Police swiftly issued advisories urging motorists to bypass the affected corridor and utilize alternative routes instead. Personnel from the Dwarka traffic circle were deployed on-site to regulate vehicular flow and restore normalcy. Meanwhile, authorities sounded an alert regarding potential waterlogging at the Azad Market railway underpass, warning drivers to exercise caution. Traffic officials outlined alternative routes via Shastri Nagar, KD Chowk, Swami Narayan Marg, Kamal T-Point, New Roहतक Road, and Rani Jhansi Road heading toward Azad Market Chowk, alongside a secondary diversion from Kishan Ganj Y-Point via Old Roहतक Road to help commuters avoid vulnerable underground stretches.
Overturned Truck on Ring Road and Widespread Waterlogging
The critical Ring Road corridor witnessed further delays after a heavy truck overturned between the Andrews Ganj and Moolchand flyovers, slowing down traffic to a crawl. Police advised commuters to factor in extra travel time and plan their journeys accordingly. Widespread waterlogging, stalled vehicles, and localized flooding crippled numerous neighborhoods. According to meteorological data, downpours touched nearly 67 millimetres in certain pockets of the capital, inundating prominent zones such as Lutyens' Delhi, Mathura Road, Connaught Place, Bhairon Marg, ITO, and the Zakhira underpass. Commercial hubs like Sadar Bazar saw water enter shops and damage goods, while severe waterlogging plagued the Mehrauli-Mahipalpur flyover vicinity. Low-lying areas like Sangam Vihar and Sonia Vihar experienced knee-deep water accumulation, with circulating social media footage capturing students wading through waist-deep water in Sangam Vihar. Other residential pockets including Durga Vihar, Rail Vihar, Subhash Chowk, Vatika Chowk, Janakpuri, and Rohini faced similar water-bound conditions.
Record Rainfall in Janakpuri and Gridlock on Delhi-Jaipur Highway
Meteorological records highlighted Janakpuri as the wettest spot with 67 millimetres of rainfall, followed by Chhatarpur at 57 millimetres, Pitampura at 35 millimetres, and Safdarjung at 29 millimetres. Pockets near Sarai Kale Khan, Mathura Road, and the Dwarka Expressway saw endless vehicle queues, while the Zakhira underpass and areas surrounding Shivaji Stadium compounded commuter distress. The weather department had earlier issued a red alert warning of heavy downpours. The resultant gridlock at the Delhi-Gurugram border left motorists stranded for extended durations.
Impact Across Neighboring NCR Cities
Satellite cities in neighboring states experienced severe fallout from the relentless weather system. Parts of Haryana recorded extremely heavy rainfall ranging between 12 and 20 centimetres, reducing speeds on the Delhi-Jaipur Highway and NH-48 to a slow crawl. Waterlogging and severe bottlenecks were reported from Sikanderpur Ghosi, Noida, and multiple localities across Faridabad. Urban sectors in Uttar Pradesh were equally impacted, with Ghaziabad witnessing major traffic jams after low-lying roads and residential streets went underwater. In one such incident, an auto-rickshaw overturned after hitting a pothole hidden beneath a waterlogged street, resulting in minor injuries to the passengers on board.
