Delhi choked by traffic amid heavy rains; Yamuna river near danger mark
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Heavy rainfall on Monday paralysed Delhi and the surrounding NCR regions, including Gurugram, leading to severe traffic jams, extensive waterlogging, and disruptions across road, rail, and air services.
Several major arterial routes in the capital experienced bumper-to-bumper traffic, particularly in South Delhi and along key stretches of the Ring Road. Waterlogged streets in areas such as Mahatma Gandhi Road, NH-48, Captain Gaur Marg, and parts of Pitampura and Vasant Vihar resulted in long hours of gridlock, leaving commuters stranded.
Metro services were also affected. Technical glitches were reported on the Blue and Yellow lines, causing heavy overcrowding at major stations like Rajiv Chowk. This is the third such technical issue on the Delhi Metro network within a week.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a technical advisory, placing most of Delhi under an ‘orange alert’ for heavy to very heavy rainfall till Monday night, following a ‘yellow alert’ earlier in the day, TNIE reported.
The Irrigation and Flood Control (I-&FC) Department authorities issued a flood warning in Delhi after the water discharge from Haryana’s Hathnikund barrage surged past 3.22 lakh cusecs, the highest recorded this season.
Officials cautioned that the Yamuna’s water level could rise above the danger mark of 205.33 metres at the Old Railway Bridge (ORB), a key monitoring point for the river’s flow. The level is expected to reach around 206 metres by the evening of September 2 due to continuous heavy rainfall in the upper Yamuna catchment.
The Central Flood Control Room reported that the discharge had already crossed 3 lakh cusecs. In the issued advisory, all sector officers were instructed to maintain strict vigilance, monitor vulnerable points, and ensure necessary safety measures. Residents living within the embankments were asked to be alerted and shifted to safer locations.
Authorities remain on high alert as the IMD predicts more rainfall across the region throughout the week.