Overnight rain brings Delhi to standstill
A night of heavy downpour followed by persistent morning showers threw Delhi’s road network into disarray on Thursday. Large-scale waterlogging, choked drains, pothole-riddled stretches, and massive traffic snarls brought commuter movement to a crawl across the Capital.
Key junctions including ITO, Old Rohtak Road, Delhi-Jaipur Highway (NH-8), and Madhuban Chowk witnessed prolonged congestion. The situation was particularly severe in Shadipur, where bumper-to-bumper traffic was reported well into the afternoon. Commuters reported delays of over an hour in several locations.
In outer Delhi, traffic movement between Nangloi and Najafgarh came to a standstill. The Delhi Traffic Police, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), warned of disruptions on both carriageways from Nangloi to Mundka on Rohtak Road due to waterlogging, potholes, and ongoing Public Works Department (PWD) repairs.
Several other areas, including Dhaula Kuan, Rajokri, and Mahipalpur, saw vehicles crawling for kilometers. A serious point of concern was the Zakhira Railway Underpass on Road No. 40, where heavy waterlogging forced traffic diversions and led to gridlock.
“Traffic from Shastri Nagar-KD Chowk is diverted towards Chaudhary Nahar Singh Marg and vice versa,” the police stated. A commuter caught in the jam posted: “People are stuck for over 30 minutes just to cross a kilometre stretch. The situation is extremely bad.”
The impact was felt citywide. Parts of South Delhi — including Sarai Kale Khan, the approach to AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital, and the Ashram area — experienced prolonged snarls. Commuters from Patparganj, Shalimar Bagh, and Shahdara echoed similar complaints, taking to social media to tag Delhi Traffic Police and demand urgent intervention.
Rainfall recorded on Wednesday was uneven, with some pockets receiving as much as 60mm and others barely 1.4mm. But despite the disparity, the traffic disruption was widespread.
According to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), four complaints each of tree fall and waterlogging were registered between 6 pm and 9 pm on Wednesday.
Amid growing public outrage over widespread waterlogging and traffic snarls following heavy rainfall in Delhi, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday maintained that there was no waterlogging in major trouble-prone areas of the city.
Speaking at the inauguration of the DDA’s Aarambh Pustakalaya in Adhchini Village, Gupta said, “Despite the heavy rain, there was no waterlogging this time in traditionally problematic zones such as Minto Road and the ITO junction.” She urged officials to replicate this level of preparedness across the city.
Acknowledging the inconvenience faced by citizens, Gupta said she had been receiving continuous updates about traffic congestion and long delays. She emphasized the need for round-the-clock monitoring and seamless coordination among departments to ensure a swift and unified response to waterlogging incidents.
The CM also highlighted that inspections had been carried out at high-risk areas like Minto Bridge and Kushak Drain, and assured that the government is actively working on long-term infrastructure solutions. “There are still areas that require improvement. We are committed to ensuring a better experience next monsoon,” she said.
Her remarks, however, sparked sharp criticism from the Opposition.
AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj countered Gupta’s claims, saying, “It normally takes me 30 minutes to travel from India Gate to Chirag Delhi. Yesterday, it took 2.5 hours. For the past five months, the CM and ministers have been posing for photos near drains, claiming they’ve been cleaned. The result is plain to see — waterlogging and traffic jams across the city.”
Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav echoed similar concerns, accusing the BJP-led government of being ill-prepared for the monsoon season.
Delhi