Orange alert issued; snarled traffic, waterlogged roads and stranded vehicles paint a grim monsoon picture across the capital and its suburbs
Delhi doesn’t just stop during a downpour — it practically drowns. That’s exactly what happened early Wednesday morning when relentless rain transformed roads into rivers, turned underpasses into swimming pools, and left thousands of commuters cursing every pothole and jammed traffic signal between them and their destination.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for the day, and going by the scenes across Delhi and NCR, the warning wasn’t even close to overkill.
Streets or Streams? Pick One
By 7 a.m., parts of Connaught Place, South Extension, and Lutyens’ Delhi were already knee-deep in murky water. Vehicles stalled. Bikers lost balance. Office-goers, drenched from head to toe, trudged through flooded lanes hoping their Uber didn’t cancel again.
Gurgaon and Noida didn’t fare any better. Commuters leaving for work in Cyber City or Sector 62 were trapped in gridlocks for hours.
And the chaos wasn’t limited to one area or one time.
In fact, one commuter quipped, “The only place the water isn’t collecting is in DJB pipelines.” Dark humor, maybe — but not far from the truth.
Metro Packed, Roads Jammed, Patience Lost
Delhi Metro trains were crammed tighter than rush hour in Tokyo. With autos refusing to brave waterlogged roads and cabs stuck in canceled loops, most people turned to the Metro. But even there, delays mounted as entry gates in some stations became mini-flood zones themselves.
Outside, honking continued relentlessly. Tempers flared.
One software engineer from Dwarka, stranded near Dhaula Kuan, said: “It took me 2 hours to cover 7 km. I could’ve walked faster. But where’s the footpath? Underwater.”
IMD’s Forecast and What It Actually Means
On paper, the IMD had only forecast “light to moderate rainfall” for Wednesday. But the showers that began before sunrise were anything but light.
That’s why the department upgraded its warning to an orange alert by mid-morning.
Here’s what that means in real terms:
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Orange Alert: Be prepared. Disruption is likely. Flooding possible. Infrastructure can be affected.
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Rainfall Recorded: Over 70mm in parts of Central and East Delhi between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m.
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Wind Speeds: Gusts of up to 35 km/h, which uprooted several trees and damaged hoardings in some areas.
Worst-Hit Areas
In a city used to monsoon woes, this morning was particularly brutal. Here’s a quick roundup of major affected zones:
| Area | Issue | Impact Level |
|---|---|---|
| Minto Bridge | Underpass flooded again | Severe |
| Lajpat Nagar | Waterlogging & 3-km jam | High |
| Gurgaon Cyber Hub | Cars stranded in basement lots | Critical |
| Noida Sector 18 | Metro station entrance flooded | Moderate |
| NH-8 (Rajokri stretch) | Standstill traffic | Severe |
And these are just the tip of the iceberg.
Frustration on the Streets
It wasn’t just water on the roads — it was frustration boiling over.
In East Delhi, several school buses were delayed by over an hour. Some parents gave up entirely and kept their kids at home.
By mid-morning, X (formerly Twitter) was flooded with images and videos. One viral clip showed a Swiggy delivery agent carrying his bike over a shoulder-high pool of water near Sarai Kale Khan.
Another showed an elderly woman wading through filthy water in Laxmi Nagar, holding up her saree and dignity, both with equal effort.
Who’s to Blame? Everyone and No One
Municipal authorities blamed old drainage systems. Residents blamed civic agencies. And civic agencies blamed “unprecedented intensity.”
A South Delhi Municipal Corporation official said: “All pumps are working. We just didn’t expect this much rain this early.”
Right.
Another official from the PWD said they’d dispatched more than 50 portable pumps across key intersections, but admitted: “We are always reacting. Not planning.”
A Familiar Pattern with No Real Fix
Let’s face it — this isn’t new.
Every year, Delhi is warned. Every year, nothing changes. Stormwater drains remain clogged. Pavement slopes still defy gravity. Underpasses continue to flood, and civic coordination is a unicorn.
And as long as the system keeps kicking the can down the road, the same script will replay with each downpour.
Small Rescues, Big Hearts
In all the mess, there were flickers of kindness.
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A group of bikers in Mayur Vihar helped push stranded autos out of the muck.
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In Gurgaon, a gated society distributed tea and biscuits to stuck commuters outside their gates.
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A DTC bus conductor gave free rides to drenched college students when their wallets got soaked.
One moment even showed humanity can shine through the greyest clouds.
