Noida: As rain fell in fits through the morning before intensifying by evening, tailbacks were seen on Noida Expressway, DND Flyway approach, Kalindi Kunj road, Pari Chowk, Gaur Chowk and the link roads off NH-24 along with stretches in sectors 62, 63, 18 and 137. Commutes that normally took 30-40 minutes stretched beyond two hours in several areas, with several school buses and ambulances caught in the congestion.The closure of two lanes at Kalindi Kunj border, set aside for Kanwar pilgrims, pushed traffic from Faridabad into a 4-km-long tailback, while waterlogging near DND toll plaza added to the bottlenecks, with several vehicles stuck in potholes or overturned.DCP (traffic) Abhay Kumar Mishra said persistent rain caused waterlogging on roads and underpasses through the day, and that flooding at MCD toll plaza in Delhi, combined with Kalindi Kunj lane closures, further slowed vehicles entering Noida. Traffic personnel remained deployed through the day to manage the flow. A height barrier outside Botanical Garden metro station collapsed and was later removed by traffic police, officials said.In Sector 95, an ambulance was left stranded in knee-deep water under Mahamaya flyover for nearly 30 minutes. The driver, Vijay Srivastava, said a medical team, including a doctor, remained trapped inside the vehicle, unable to open the doors for fear that rushing water would flood the equipment inside. He said it was fortunate no patient was on board at the time.A few kilometres away, in the heart of Sector 18 market, a different kind of ingenuity unfolded during the evening rush hour. With the road outside the metro station submerged under knee-deep water, stranded shoppers and visitors struggled to cross over to the station. Several autorickshaw drivers, sensing opportunity in the chaos, began offering rides across the stretch for Rs 10 each. “We do not get passengers when it rains. So, we decided to offer this service and make some money too,” said Raju, one of the drivers.Residential sectors also reported flooding. In Sector 19, RWA president RC Gupta said drain water had entered homes near C-445 to C-456 and appealed to the authority to install additional pumps urgently. Similar complaints came from areas near MP2 elevated road and Sectors 62, 12, 11 and Behlolpur in Sector 63.In Greater Noida, sectors including Alpha, Beta, Delta and Gamma saw waterlogged roads, service lanes and green belts, while schoolchildren in the Sutyana area were forced to wade through several feet of water, with residents warning that submerged potholes and open drains posed a risk of accidents.In Ghaziabad, traffic congestion hit Mohan Nagar, Meerut Tiraha, Delhi-Meerut road and Loni due to rain and Kanwar-related diversions. Delhi-Meerut road was worst affected, with one carriageway reserved for Kanwariyas forcing vehicles to share the other lane for hours. Slow-moving traffic was also reported at Khoda and Vijay Nagar underpass along NH-9.DCP (Traffic) Trigun Bisen said heavy rain combined with diversions had caused the congestion, and that police had been deployed to manage the situation.According to India Meteorological Department, Jewar recorded the highest rainfall in Noida at 40 mm, followed by Dadri at 37.5 mm, while Ghaziabad’s Loni tehsil recorded 62 mm and Hindon IAF base 13.5 mm between 8.30 am and 7.30 pm.
