Delhi NCR Drenched: First Rain Turns Delhi Into a Pool of Problems
The long wait for monsoon ended on Wednesday evening in Delhi NCR and the rain brought more trouble than relief. As the skies opened in the evening hours people hoped for a break from the heat but what followed was chaos on every corner.
Rain filled the roads and froze traffic within a few hours in Delhi Gurugram and Ghaziabad. The rain continued through the night so the city grappled with clogged drains and shattered roads that left travel nearly impossible.
In Delhi more than 150 areas were underwater and traffic moved inch by inch on around 200 roads. From Ring Road to Sarita Vihar it was the same scene everywhere with vehicles stuck and people helpless in the storm.
“I just wanted to get home on time,” said Anjali Mehra who spent over three hours stuck near Sarita Vihar. “But the city breaks down every time it rains so there is nothing new anymore.”
In one shocking sight a luxury Jaguar was seen floating under the Sarita Vihar underpass and buses near Zakhira stopped mid route so passengers got down and waded through dirty water to get home.
Gurugram Road Cracks Open Swallows Beer Truck
In Gurugram things got worse when a large part of the Southern Peripheral Road near Sector 70 collapsed in the rain. A beer truck was caught in the sink and slowly went down in front of stunned locals.
Rakesh Yadav who runs a small shop nearby said “We heard a loud sound and the road just vanished in front of our eyes.”The video went viral in minutes and so people across the country saw how bad the situation was. Meanwhile on the Delhi Jaipur Highway cars did not move for 24 kilometers so even ambulances were stuck for hours.
Ghaziabad Clogged But Minto Bridge Stays Dry
In Ghaziabad traffic moved slower than walking speed in places like Rajnagar Extension and NH 9 where jams stretched up to 10 kilometers.Surprisingly the Minto Bridge underpass in Delhi stayed dry for the first time in years as a new pump system worked well so locals cheered online calling it a rare win.So far there are no reports of injury or loss of life but property damage is high and roads are still not repaired. The IMD has said that more rain is expected in the next few days so the problems may return soon.
People in Delhi NCR are once again reminded that in this city the rain does not just cool the air it shuts everything down.