Heavy rain batters Delhi, floods roads from Connaught Place to IGI Airport; over 400 flights delayed

Heavy rain battered Delhi on Friday, inundating major roads and disrupting traffic and flight operations across the national Capital, with severe waterlogging reported from Connaught Place to the Indira Gandhi International Airport. More than 400 flights were delayed during the day, while at least nine were diverted within an hour as the downpour affected airport operations.

Visuals from Connaught Place, Akbar Road, Lajpat Nagar, Mayur Vihar and areas around the airport showed vehicles negotiating flooded roads and commuters struggling through accumulated water. Traffic slowed considerably on several arterial routes, while waterlogging near Mahipalpur triggered a massive tailback on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway.

Airport operations hit

The weather caused significant disruption at IGI Airport, which handles more than 1,300 flight movements every day. At least nine flights were diverted between 3.30 pm and 4.30 pm, while flight-tracking data showed more than 400 services had been delayed by Friday evening.

Passengers also faced waterlogging at the airport and on roads leading to the terminals. Airport personnel were deployed to clear accumulated water even as airlines advised passengers to check their flight status and leave additional time for travelling to the airport because of traffic congestion.

Traffic snarls across city

The impact extended across Delhi-NCR, with a traffic jam stretching about 10 km reported on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway by Friday evening. The tailback began around Shiv Murti in Mahipalpur and extended towards Udyog Vihar in Gurugram, leaving hundreds of commuters stranded.

The India Meteorological Department had upgraded its warning for Delhi to a red alert during the afternoon amid forecasts of heavy rain, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds. Noida and Ghaziabad were placed under an orange warning. A squall was also recorded at Palam airport around 10 am.

The latest spell follows an unusually wet August for Delhi. The Capital received 354.1 mm of rainfall between August 1 and August 30, substantially above the long-period average of 233.1 mm for the month.