Gurgaon: Fresh spells of rain on Wednesday left several roads yet to recover from Tuesday’s waterlogging submerged for the second straight day, bringing traffic to a crawl in several parts of the city.The city recorded 37mm rainfall between 8.30am and 5.30pm on Wednesday, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD). It had seen 76mm rain on Tuesday.Though traffic was significantly less on roads because many people worked from home, those who could not do so bore the brunt of waterlogging. “A drive that normally takes 20 minutes took me over an hour,” said IT professional Rahul Mehta, who went from Sector 88 to Sector 45.Narsingpur once again emerged as one of the worst-hit locations, with a few patches of Delhi-Jaipur Expressway submerged under water. Vehicles — including cars, trucks and two-wheelers — moved cautiously through flooded stretches while several auto-rickshaws broke down after getting stranded in water. “I barely crossed Narsingpur to go to Hero Honda Chowk when traffic came to a complete halt. Water covered almost the entire carriageway, and every vehicle was inching forward,” Rahul added.Commercial vehicle drivers were equally affected. “Driving through Narsingpur is becoming risky every monsoon. Water enters the engine, vehicles develop faults, and repair bills increase. We lose time, fuel and income whenever roads remain flooded,” said Shiv Kumar, a goods carrier driver.Less than 24 hours after Tuesday’s rain played havoc, the fresh spell once again tested the city’s drainage infrastructure. With the IMD forecasting more widespread rainfall through Thursday, commuters were advised to plan for delays and avoid low-lying stretches where possible. On Wednesday, civic agencies remained deployed at vulnerable locations to monitor waterlogging, but repeated flooding at Narsingpur, MG Road and Sohna Road highlighted the city’s continuing struggle to cope with even moderate spells of rain after a heavy downpour.The Sohna Road stretch between Omaxe Mall and Aria Mall also witnessed severe waterlogging, leading to long queues of vehicles. Motorists reported delays of up to an hour as traffic crawled through inundated sections. Water also accumulated along MG Road near Sector 14, where buses and commuters waited beside flooded bus stops. Internal roads in Sector 15 and Patel Nagar were inundated, while slow-moving traffic was reported from multiple parts of the city.At several locations, two-wheelers were seen negotiating knee-deep water, while cars created large waves as they passed through submerged roads. Anant Jaiswal, who was returning from MG Road to Sector 56, said, “The rain itself wasn’t very intense, but the roads got flooded within minutes. Every time it rains, we end up taking longer routes because we know the usual stretches will be waterlogged.”Waterlogging was also reported at several other locations across the city. Stretches from Umang Bhardwaj Chowk to Hero Honda Chowk witnessed slow-moving traffic as rainwater accumulated on the carriageway. The Old Bus Stand area and roads around the old MCG office were also inundated, forcing motorists to navigate through waterlogged stretches and adding to peak-hour congestion across Gurgaon.IMD issued a tehsil-level nowcast warning of thunderstorms, lightning, moderate rainfall and gusty winds of 30-40 kph over Gurgaon and Sohna. The district also remains under a yellow alert, with more spells of rain likely over the next two days. According to official rainfall data, Gurgaon recorded 83 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8 am on Wednesday. Kadipur and Harsaru received 87 mm each, followed by Manesar (56 mm), Wazirabad (53 mm), Sohna (30 mm), Farrukhnagar (31 mm), Pataudi (29 mm) and Badshahpur (17 mm).Hotspots: GMDA CEO PC Meena told TOI, “Ahead of the monsoon, GMDA had identified 42 chronic waterlogging hotspots across sectors 1 to 80 and carried out extensive drainage strengthening works, including desilting of drains, restoration of stormwater channels and engineering interventions to improve rainwater discharge. During Tuesday’s heavy rainfall, most of these locations did not witness waterlogging. At the few places where rainwater accumulated, it was cleared within about two hours after the rain stopped, allowing traffic to resume without prolonged disruption.”“The pre-monsoon works also yielded encouraging results on key corridors. No waterlogging was reported on the entire Southern Peripheral Road, including Golf Course Extension Road, after surface drains were cleaned, connected to master drains and new chambers were constructed where required. Similarly, desilting of the surface drain between Hero Honda Chowk and Umang Bhardwaj Chowk significantly improved water discharge. Areas such as Sector 9 and Sector 9A, which witnessed severe flooding last year, also remained free of prolonged waterlogging. Our field teams continue to monitor all vulnerable locations round the clock and are ready to undertake immediate drainage and flood relief operations whenever required,” Meena added.Cyclist, cow fall into sewer pit: An open sewer pit in Feroz Gandhi Colony became the site of a series of accidents, with a cyclist and a cow falling into the water-filled excavation. They were rescued safely by local residents, who have accused the MCG of gross negligence.According to residents, the pit had been dug in the middle of the road as part of an ongoing sewer line project. Rain filled the excavation with water, making it impossible for commuters to distinguish between the road surface and the open pit.The first incident involved a cyclist, who accidentally rode into the submerged pit. He himself managed to pull out of the pit in time, preventing what could have been a fatal accident.Later, a cow also fell into the same pit. Local residents tied ropes around the animal and, after considerable effort, rescued it safely. The incidents have sparked anger among residents, who alleged that the excavation site lacked basic safety measures. Neither protective barricades nor warning signs had been installed around the pit despite the ongoing rain, leaving commuters vulnerable.MCG assistant engineer Sunil Lather said the pit had been left open because sewer repair work was in progress. “A sewer work was underway for which this 1.5 to 2-ft-deep pit was left open. When the residents reported that a cyclist and a cow fell in the pit, we immediately got it covered using a slab,” Lather said. Following the incidents, MCG covered the pit with a concrete slab. However, residents have demanded stricter safety protocols at construction sites, particularly during the monsoon, to prevent similar accidents in the future.With inputs from Vishakha Chaman
