Gurugram Rain: Sunday brought deluge to Gurugram, which brought the city to a standstill. Incessant rainfall through the night caused severe waterlogging, crippling major roads and highways and threw up a chaotic situation in front of the commuters. District authorities claimed by 8:30 am the city had received 53 mm of rainfall, while in some areas, it was more than 80 mm. This brought about accumulation across several sectors and main roads, thus hitting travel and other daily activities hard.
Widespread Deluge Hits Key Areas
The relentless rainwater overflowed at key areas, such as the Gurugram-Delhi Expressway and several subways. It inundated important junctions and service lanes, leaving vehicles marooned and commuters wading through knee-deep water. Several underpasses and subways, including those in DLF phases 1 and 3, Sector 4, 5, Palam Vihar, and Suncity Township, were closed as authorities prioritized public safety.
Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said emergency teams were on the job and actively handling the crisis. “We have stationed cranes and police vans at critical points to assist with vehicle breakdowns, and our teams are working round the clock to pump out water from affected areas,” he said. Yadav advised residents to avoid potholed roads and stay indoors unless absolutely necessary.
Strategic Deployment of Emergency Teams
DCP Siddhant Jain said teams were deployed at various stretches identified as important to help commuters, while barricades were put up across underpasses to help prevent accidents. “The waterlogged conditions will be better if the rain stops. Until then, our priority is ensuring safety and assistance wherever possible,” Jain said.
Little choice was left with the residents as heavy rain lashed the city continuously, leaving the roads inaccessible and forcing many to cancel their plans and remain indoors. “We had planned a picnic at Damdama Lake, but the roads are flooded and it’s too risky to venture out,” said Karan Mehta of Sector 48.
Delhi-Gurugram Expressway Faces Severe Flooding
Even the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway had its share of troubles, with the main carriageway and service lanes getting flooded. Commuter Raghav Sharma recounted a harrowing experience, saying, “I got stuck for almost two hours on the expressway. Waterlogging was so bad that I had to push my car through a flooded area.”
Residents expressed growing anger over the city’s drainage system, which they feel is incapable of draining out so much rain. “We had to cancel our trip to Jaipur because the roads were completely inaccessible,” said Sunil Verma from Sushant Lok.
Ajay Sharma of the Tulip Ivory Residents Welfare Association targeted both the builders and the administration for never taking cognizance of the recurrent problem. “Despite promises of improvement, we are still facing the same problems every monsoon. The drains have been neglected, leading to this annual disaster,” he said.
Social Media Outcry Over Flooding
Social media was rife with complaints and pictures of the devastation. Baljeet Singh Rathee, president, DLF Qutub Enclave Residents Welfare Association, shared pictures pointing out the issue of blocked stormwater drains. “These multi million dollar homes turn into floating houses during the rain. Clearly, nothing much has changed in the wake of the authorities’ efforts. We need to be renamed ‘Jalgram’ before the Haryana elections,” tweeted Sumedha Sharma.
The subsiding waterlogging crisis has brought to the fore once again the need for better drainage infrastructure with efficient management strategies at the back to take on such weather extremes.
