Gurugram under orange alert as heavy rain floods roads, disrupts traffic

Gurugram was under an ‘orange alert’ on Saturday as incessant morning showers lashed the city, leaving arterial roads submerged, residential sectors choked with knee-deep runoff, and peak-hour traffic crawling.Major arterial connections including Sheetla Mata Road, Old Delhi-Gurugram Road, and stretches connecting Sector 9A, Sector 10, and Sector 17 witnessed water accumulation of up to two feet. (PTI)According to data released by the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) regional centre in Chandigarh, Gurugram recorded 51.5mm of rainfall up to 8am. The weather bureau has warned of persistent heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms throughout the day across Gurugram and several other parts of Haryana.IMD, on Saturday at 10.38am, forecast heavy rainfall exceeding 15mm per hour within the next two to three hours, accompanied by moderate thunderstorms and gusty winds.The district administration advised the general public to avoid non-essential travel, as far as practicable. “Citizens are further advised to avoid waterlogged roads, underpasses and low-lying areas; stay away from trees, electric poles and overhead wires; and refrain from crossing flooded stretches. All concerned departments and emergency response agencies have been directed to remain vigilant and take necessary precautionary measures,” the advisory read.Also Read:MP Rao Inderjit apologises over Gurugram waterlogging, vows to fix accountabilityThe downpour, which picked up intensity around 7.30am, covered the city skies with dark clouds and quickly exposed the civic administration’s monsoon preparedness as stormwater drains overflowed within minutes. Many perennial trouble spots in the city like MG Road, Sector 31, Sector 46, Sector 10, Sector 12, Narsinghpur, Sector 69, Sector 70 among others, recorded waterlogging.Interior stretches and older sectors fared no better. Major arterial connections including Sheetla Mata Road, Old Delhi-Gurugram Road, and stretches connecting Sector 9A, Sector 10, and Sector 17 witnessed water accumulation of up to two feet.In Sector 15 Part 2, runoff entered internal colony roads and threatened ground-floor residences, forcing residents to park vehicles on elevated ramps.In New Gurugram and the industrial belt of Manesar, commuters faced significant delays. Sector 81, along with the adjacent dividing roads connecting Sectors 82 to 90, turned into virtual streams.According to tehsil-wise data released by district administration on Saturday, Manesar received the highest amount of rainfall, 54mm, in the last 24 hours till 8am. Similarly, Wazirabad received 42mm, Gurugram 41mm, Kadipur and Harsaru 29mm, Sohna 26mm, Badshahpur 12mm, Farrukhnagar and Pataudi received 10mm of rainfall.Also Read:Gurugram waterlogging can’t be fixed via piecemeal solutions: Rao Inderjit SinghOn Friday, Gurugram experienced a 10 km-long traffic tailback from Delhi due to one hour of continuous rain. On Thursday, a 32-year-old labourer died in Bajghera after coming in contact with a broken high-tension powerline. Police said the deceased could not spot the wire since it was dark and it was raining.A senior Gurugram traffic police officer said, “Personnel have been deployed at critical intersections to divert vehicles away from waterlogged stretches.”Taking to social media platforms, traffic authorities advised commuters to plan their journeys, avoid vulnerable corridors, and strictly maintain lane discipline.Civic agencies, including the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) and the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), claimed that suction pumps and super-sucker machines had been pressed into service across low-lying junctions to flush the excess water out into the master drains.