Heavy rain battered Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Friday, flooding roads, disrupting traffic and leaving commuters stranded across several parts of the capital.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said moderate to heavy rainfall would continue through Friday before easing from Saturday, with only light showers expected over the following two days.
The downpour inundated several low-lying areas, with South Delhi’s Mehrauli-Badarpur (MB) Road emerging as one of the worst-hit locations. Water accumulated up to three to four feet deep near Vayusena Bad (Air Force Station), submerging large stretches of the arterial road and bringing traffic to a near standstill.
MB Road among worst-hit
Heavy waterlogging was reported at multiple points along MB Road, including Okhla Mor, Sangam Vihar, Khanpur, Deoli and Ambedkar Nagar. Traffic between Khanpur and Okhla Mor crawled for several kilometres as motorists struggled through flooded roads.
Several motorcycles and auto-rickshaws reportedly broke down after entering the submerged stretch, while office-goers remained stuck in long traffic queues. Visuals from the area showed Air Force personnel using military trucks to cross the flooded road near the Air Force Station.
Traffic congestion was also reported from several key corridors across the city, including ITO, Wazirabad Road, Patel Road, Rohtak Road, Shankar Road, Kirti Nagar, the Delhi-Jaipur Highway, Peeragarhi and Shaheen Bagh. In East Delhi, slow-moving traffic and waterlogging affected GT Road, GTB Enclave and Dilshad Garden, while areas such as Dakshinpuri, Okhla, Sangam Vihar and Sainik Farms also witnessed flooding.
IMD predicts gradual easing
According to the IMD, Safdarjung, Delhi’s primary weather station, recorded 59.2 mm of rainfall till 8.30 am on Friday. Lodhi Road received 60.4 mm, Ridge 57 mm, Ayanagar 26.2 mm and Palam 16.9 mm during the same period.
IMD scientist Ankit said moderate to heavy rainfall was expected to continue through Friday, but weather activity would weaken from Saturday. Light showers are forecast for August 8 and 9.
The weather department has also issued a yellow alert for isolated parts of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, while eastern Rajasthan remains under an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall. A fresh low-pressure area is also expected to develop over eastern India within the next 24 hours, bringing intense rainfall to Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha.
- Rain wreaks havoc across NCR
- The impact of the downpour extended well beyond Delhi.
In Noida, an ambulance remained stranded for more than 30 minutes in a flooded underpass near the Mahamaya Flyover. The vehicle, which was not carrying a patient, was unable to move through the waterlogged stretch.
“We have been stuck here for the last half an hour. We have not received any help so far. The ambulance is not carrying any patients,” ambulance driver Vijay Srivastava said.
Neighbouring Gurugram also witnessed widespread disruption. At the Civil Hospital, rainwater flooded the basement and seeped into parts of the ground floor, forcing authorities to suspend all medical services operating from the lower level.
The injection room was among the worst-affected facilities, while water entered treatment areas and hospital corridors. Patients and staff faced significant inconvenience as officials worked to pump out the water and restore normal operations.
More rain likely through Friday night
By Friday evening, weather officials said fresh rain-bearing cloud bands from northwest Uttar Pradesh were moving towards Delhi-NCR, bringing another spell of moderate to heavy rainfall across Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad until around 9 pm. While rainfall intensity is expected to reduce later in the night, light showers may continue until midnight.
Several parts of the NCR had already recorded more than 100 mm of rainfall by 5 pm. Faridabad’s Sector 17 topped the region with 119.4 mm since midnight, while forecasters said isolated localities in Delhi, Noida and Faridabad could cross the 150 mm mark by the end of the day.
With widespread flooding already affecting roads across the region, authorities have advised commuters to avoid unnecessary travel as waterlogging and traffic disruptions are expected to persist into the night.
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