Heavy rains in Gurugram: WFH for corporates, holiday for schools on Monday

Gurugram: Heavy rainfall led to severe waterlogging and traffic congestion in several parts of Gurugram on Sunday with the administration advising corporate houses to work from home on Monday and schools to announce a holiday.

The downpour wreaked havoc as arterial roads, parks, underpasses, markets, and even schools and hospitals were inundated.

Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav urged residents to stay indoors and venture out only for essential work. He also said corporate offices have been asked to advise their staff to work from home on Monday so that waterlogged roads can be cleared as soon as the rain stops.

Private schools in the city are expected to remain closed on Monday after an advisory issued by the district administration.

"Due to incessant rainfall, roads are waterlogged and commuting is extremely difficult. Hence, the schools will remain closed tomorrow (July 10) for students' safety, by orders from the District Authorities," read a message from the principal of DAV public school, sector 14.

According to officials, the downpour lashed Gurugram through Saturday night and continued well into the morning. The city received 150 mm of rainfall till the afternoon.

Pictures and videos of commuters wading through knee-deep water flooded social media platforms, raising concerns about the efficiency of the city's drainage infrastructure.

"There is waterlogging due to continuous rain and traffic is moving at a slow pace. Therefore, we request all of you to leave the house only when necessary work is to be done. Sorry for the inconvenience," an advisory by the traffic police department said.

Severe waterlogging was reported from Himgiri Chowk, Aggarwal Dharmshala Chowk, Sheetla Mata Mandir Road, Kanhai Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, MG Road, and Sohna Road among others, they said.

Areas like Udyog Vihar, Rosewood City, Malibu Town, Sector 14, 17, and 31 among others remained inundated for several hours, they said.

Commuters travelling on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway had a harrowing time as the main carriageway and service lanes near Narsinghpur were submerged under water.

Traffic congestion was also reported on several roads in the city. Deputy Commissioner of Police (traffic), Virender Vij, said the movement of vehicles on internal roads and the expressway was slow but there was no heavy congestion. Police personnel are managing the traffic, he said.

Yadav said several teams of civic agencies are clearing waterlogged roads using pumps. Meanwhile, Gurugram residents slammed the Municipal Corporation Gurugram (MCG) and the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) for not cleaning the drains on time.

Several people shared photos and videos of waterlogged roads on social media sites and expressed frustration over the situation.

"The monsoon season has begun but most of the drains have not been cleaned yet. Waterlogging is an annual affair here with the authorities claiming to make arrangements but failing to execute them," said former councillor Rama Rani Rathee.