New Delhi: A fresh spell of rain Thursday morning left several roads waterlogged and triggering widespread traffic congestion across the city during the office rush hour.Waterlogging was reported from several locations, with visuals showing inundated stretches near Red Fort, Dwarka, Sadar Bazar and Sangam Vihar. In northeast Delhi’s Shastri Park, rainwater entered a few shops, inconveniencing traders and residents.The downpour slowed traffic on several major arterial roads. Long queues of vehicles were reported on NH-48, Delhi-Meerut Expressway, the Safdarjung-AIIMS corridor and around Hauz Khas, with navigation apps showing long stretches marked in red. Traffic also crawled on Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg, Ber Sarai, JNU Gate-Jia Sarai Road and near Munirka.The situation was compounded by the ongoing kanwar yatra. Traffic police sources said while personnel were deployed at key locations to regulate the movement of kanwariyas and vehicles, areas such as Kalindi Kunj, which already witness heavy traffic, saw significant delays.Similar conditions were witnessed at Sainik Farms, where waterlogged roads disrupted vehicular movement. Commuters also shared visuals of water accumulation on Rohtak Road after the morning showers. Social media was flooded with complaints from stranded motorists.“Heavy traffic at Kalindi Kunj from Delhi to Noida. Traffic has been at a standstill for one hour,” one commuter posted. Another wrote, “Severe bottlenecks around Ber Sarai to JNU-IIT road. No cars are moving. Need urgent attention to regulate traffic.” A third user complained, “The traffic is insane on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway. It took 1.25 hours to cover just 20-25 km.”Even the Dwarka Expressway tunnel was not spared. Rejimon CK, who commutes through the tunnel daily, shared dashcam visuals with TOI showing water dripping from multiple points inside the tunnel. “It takes 47-50 minutes to cover just 17 km. If there’s even a minor breakdown, accident or waterlogging, another 10-15 minutes gets added. Water also accumulates on uneven stretches, splashing onto vehicles because many drivers don’t slow down in wet conditions,” he said.Beyond snarls, residents also flagged persistent waterlogging. S K Malik, a resident of Sector 6, Dwarka, alleged repeated complaints about blocked stormwater drains remained unaddressed despite being marked as ‘resolved’ on MCD’s grievance portal.“After the first spell of monsoon rain, I lodged complaints about clogged drains and a damaged road through the MCD 311 app. They were marked resolved, but no work was carried out. More than a month later, the drains are still blocked. After Thursday’s rain, the road was submerged under nearly a foot of water, posing a serious safety risk,” he said.Malik said the affected stretch serves ICON School and JM International School, forcing hundreds of students, parents and staff to wade through water after every rain spell.When contacted, there was no immediate response from MCD.
