Delhi drowns after hours of heavy rain, traffic crawls across NCR

The IMD has also warned of heavy rainfall in several parts of northwest India. A yellow alert has been issued for isolated areas of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, while parts of East Rajasthan are under an orange alert due to the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall.Delhi-NCR reels under heavy rain as roads flood, traffic crawls; IMD says showers likely to ease from Saturday (Photo: PTI)Heavy rain lashed Delhi on Friday, inundating roads, triggering widespread waterlogging and bringing traffic to a crawl across the national capital. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), moderate to heavy rainfall was likely to continue through the day before gradually easing from Saturday, with light showers expected over the next two days.IMD scientist Ankit said rainfall over Delhi-NCR is expected to weaken from Saturday, with August 8 and 9 likely to witness only light rain before the intensity tapers further in the following days.The downpour submerged several roads, particularly in South Delhi, where stretches of Mehrauli-Badarpur (MB) Road resembled a river after rainwater accumulated up to three to four feet deep at some locations. Vehicles were stranded, traffic movement was severely affected and commuters were forced to take long detours.SOUTH DELHI'S MB ROAD SUBMERGEDMB Road was among the worst-hit stretches as heavy rain battered South Delhi. The worst waterlogging was reported near Vayusena Bad (Air Force Station), where three to four feet of water submerged parts of the carriageway, bringing traffic to a near standstill. Several other locations along the arterial road, including Okhla Mor, Sangam Vihar, Khanpur, Deoli and Ambedkar Nagar, also witnessed heavy water accumulation. Traffic between Khanpur and Okhla Mor remained affected for several kilometres as vehicles crawled through flooded roads.Commuters said motorcycles and auto-rickshaws broke down after entering the waterlogged stretch, while office-goers were left stranded in long traffic queues. Visuals from the area showed motorists struggling to navigate the flooded road, with some Air Force personnel using military trucks to cross the inundated stretch near the Air Force Station. Apart from MB Road, traffic congestion was reported from several key stretches across Delhi, including ITO, Wazirabad Road, Patel Road, Rohtak Road, Shankar Road, the Kirti Nagar stretch, the Delhi-Jaipur Highway, Peeragarhi and Shaheen Bagh.Traffic also moved slowly in parts of East Delhi, including GT Road, GTB Enclave and Dilshad Garden. Waterlogging was reported from Dakshinpuri, Okhla, Sangam Vihar, Sainik Farms and several other low-lying areas across the city.IMD FORECASTS GRADUAL DECLINE IN RAINAccording 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 recorded 57 mm, Ayanagar logged 26.2 mm and Palam measured 16.9 mm during the same period.IMD scientist Ankit said moderate to heavy showers were expected on Friday, while rainfall activity is likely to weaken from Saturday. Light rain is expected over Delhi for the next two days, with rainfall on August 8 and 9 likely to remain in the "light" category.The IMD has also issued a yellow alert for isolated parts of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and an orange alert for eastern Rajasthan due to the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall. It further said a low-pressure area is likely to form over eastern India within the next 24 hours, bringing heavy to very heavy rainfall over Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha.NCR FEELS THE IMPACTThe impact of the heavy rainfall extended beyond Delhi, with adjoining Noida and Gurugram also witnessing severe waterlogging.An ambulance remained stranded for more than 30 minutes in a waterlogged underpass near the Mahamaya Flyover in Noida. The vehicle, which was not carrying any patient, was unable to move through the flooded 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.#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh | An ambulance is stuck in a waterlogged passageway under Noida's Mahamaya flyover amid heavy rains across Delhi NCR todayAmbulance driver Vijay Srivastava says, "We have been stuck here for the last half an hour. We have not received any help so far. The pic.twitter.com/HqzYtGioDX— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 7, 2026GURUGRAM HOSPITAL SERVICES HITIn neighbouring Gurugram, heavy rain disrupted operations at the Civil Hospital after rainwater inundated the basement and entered parts of the ground floor. Hospital authorities suspended all medical services operating from the basement after water reportedly breached sections of the basement walls and flooded treatment areas. The injection room was among the worst-hit facilities.The hospital premises remained surrounded by water, making access difficult for both patients and staff. Visuals showed rainwater entering medical rooms and flooding corridors, forcing the administration to suspend several services while efforts were underway to drain out the water and restore normal operations. Patients visiting the hospital faced considerable inconvenience due to the disruption.- EndsPublished By: Priyanka KumariPublished On: Aug 7, 2026 18:49 IST