Continuous rainfall over the last several days has brought Delhi-NCR to a grinding halt, with flooding and severe waterlogging crippling movement in the national capital and surrounding cities such as Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad. Several prominent areas in Delhi, including Safdarjung, Kashmere Gate, Connaught Place, and India Gate, remained lashed by heavy showers throughout Wednesday.
Air travel was among the worst affected, with operations at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport suffering major delays. According to flight tracking portal Flightradar24, by 5 pm, a total of 273 departures and 73 arrivals had been delayed. Adding to passengers’ woes, a crucial road stretch near IGI Airport was submerged, triggering heavy traffic snarls, while multiple arterial roads in Gurugram were waterlogged, disrupting the daily routine of commuters.
The Regional Meteorological Centre, New Delhi, in a post on X, cautioned that storms, lightning, and heavy-to-moderate rainfall were expected in large parts of Delhi and NCR. It added: “Light to moderate rainfall accompanied by light thunderstorm and lightning (30-40 Km/h gusty winds) is very likely to occur at the entire Delhi & NCR, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Narwana, Karnal, Rajaund, Assandh, Safidon, Jind, Panipat, Gohana, Tizara, Khairthal, Kotputli, Alwar, Viratnagar, Nagar, Deeg, Laxmangarh, Rajgarh, Nadbai, Bharatpur, Mahawa, Mahandipur Balaji, Bayana, Dholpur (Rajasthan)...during the next 2 hours.”
Meanwhile, the Yamuna river swelled dangerously close to its all-time record level, touching 207.19 metres at the Old Railway Bridge around 4 pm. Authorities evacuated more than 7,500 people from low-lying flood-prone areas and shifted them to 25 relief camps across Delhi. Drone footage revealed that Yamuna Bazaar was completely inundated. At the same time, discharge levels remained high — Hathni Kund Barrage released 1,65,211 cusecs, Wazirabad Barrage saw 1,76,850 cusecs, and Okhla Barrage reported the highest at 2,09,439 cusecs. Delhi’s Flood and Irrigation Minister Parvesh Verma personally inspected the ITO barrage as water levels continued to rise.
In view of the situation, Delhi airport issued an advisory for passengers. In a post on X, it said: “As per the Indian Meteorological Department's forecast, Delhi is experiencing inclement weather conditions. There might be an impact on flight operations. Our on-ground teams are working diligently with all stakeholders to ensure your journey remains hassle-free.”