The Delhi-National Capital Region has been significantly impacted by the arrival of the monsoon, with heavy rainfall lashing parts of Delhi and Gurugram. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for the next two days, forecasting continued moderate rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning, and strong winds.
Delhi Forecast: Continued Showers Expected
The IMD anticipates cloudy skies, intermittent light rain, and isolated moderate showers to persist across Delhi for the next five days. Specifically, Thursday, July 9, is expected to bring light to moderate rain with thunderstorms and strong winds in the morning and forenoon, followed by another spell of light rain at night. The alert level is projected to downgrade to green (no warning) on Friday and Saturday, July 10 and 11, though cloudy conditions and the possibility of light rain and thunderstorms will remain. Residents are urged to stay vigilant during periods of thunderstorm activity and strong winds.
Gurugram Faces Major Disruption and Road Cave-ins
Gurugram bore the brunt of a significant monsoon spell on Tuesday, July 7, leading to widespread waterlogging, road cave-ins, and severe traffic congestion. A critical incident occurred on the main carriageway of the Delhi-Jaipur Highway near Narsinghpur, where a section of the road caved in after intense rainfall. This necessitated the closure of two lanes, causing massive traffic jams between Hero Honda Chowk and the Kherki Daula Toll Plaza, stranding thousands of commuters for hours.
Extensive waterlogging affected numerous arterial roads throughout Gurugram, including Basai, Golf Course Extension Road, Rajiv Chowk, Vatika Chowk, Iffco Chowk, Udyog Vihar, Sohna Road, Khandsa Road, Old Delhi Road, Pataudi Road, and the stretch from Millennium City Centre to Hero Honda Chowk. Social media was flooded with images and videos showing vehicles stuck in deep water and near-total gridlock.
The heavy downpour also coincided with school dismissal times, exacerbating the chaos. In one instance, a school bus reportedly slipped into an open drain on NH-48, though fortunately, no students were on board, and no injuries were reported. Traffic police were deployed across the city to manage vehicular movement amidst the challenging conditions.
Gurugram Police Advise Work-From-Home
In response to the ongoing weather challenges and anticipated future rainfall, the Gurugram Police issued an advisory urging corporate offices and private institutions to implement work-from-home arrangements where feasible. The advisory highlighted that persistent rain would likely cause further waterlogging on major roads and intersections, leading to severe congestion during peak office hours.
"To ensure the safety of citizens, reduce unnecessary traffic load and assist the local administration in traffic management, corporate offices are advised to implement work-from-home policies, wherever possible," the Gurugram Police stated.
Authorities also advised residents to avoid non-essential travel, plan their commutes carefully, and monitor official traffic advisories as heavy rainfall is expected to continue across the region.