Gurugram turns Jalgram again! Why the city floods every year with few hours of rain

Many romanticise rain; they await the first proper rain of the season, and the moment it does- it’s enough to turn Gurugram into a flooded mess. This isn’t the story of just this or that year, the city plays the same script every monsoon: the downpour drowns the economic powerhouse to its knees. 

The heavy shower on July 7 and the intermittent rain that followed on July 8 left India's corporate powerhouse underwater, submerging it and stranding cars and Gurugrammers for hours.

The situation was no different from last year or the year before that- a welcoming monsoon soon turned again into a reminder of Gurugram’s weak drainage and crumbling infrastructure.

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Gurugram plays the same monsoon script every year

In July 2025, the city received 133 mm of rainfall overnight, resulting in widespread flooding that claimed five lives and brought traffic to a complete standstill. Major routes, including NH-48, Hero Honda Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, Golf Course Road, Basai Road, and Sohna Road, experienced severe congestion, while school buses carrying children remained stranded for up to five hours.

Five people lost their lives in rain-related incidents. Three people died due to electrocution. Among them was 25-year-old graphic designer Akshat Jain, who was electrocuted after unknowingly touching a live wire hidden beneath floodwaters near Ghasola Road. An autorickshaw driver drowned after falling into an open sewer concealed by waterlogging. Another individual was killed in a road accident during the downpour.

In August 2024, just three hours of rainfall triggered hours of traffic congestion across Gurugram. Knee-deep water inundated stretches of NH-48 near Narsinghpur, and severe traffic jams were reported between Kherki Daula and Rajiv Chowk, News18 reported.

Heavy waterlogging was also observed along Golf Course Extension Road, Basai Road, and Sohna Road. In residential colonies bordering NH-48, flooded and impassable roads prevented many schoolchildren from reaching their schools.

Rationale behind heavy flooding every monsoon

The struggle for Gurugram remains the same every year despite repeated warnings. Here are the key causes behind it: 

>>Poorly designed drainage systems cannot handle heavy downpours.

>>Encroachment on natural water bodies and wetlands has reduced the city's natural drainage capacity.

>>Unplanned urbanisation has left no space for water infiltration.

>>Overlapping sewage and stormwater drainage networks are causing overflows and contamination.

>>Low-lying areas remain vulnerable to flooding.

>>Weak coordination among civic agencies has hindered flood management and response efforts.

Adding to the problem is the fragmented institutional framework, with responsibilities is split among multiple agencies, including the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and the Public Works Department (PWD). As roads, drainage networks, and highways fall under different jurisdictions, coordinated planning, maintenance, and execution remain a challenge.

In an advisory issued at around 10 pm today (July 8), the Gurugram Police urged corporate offices to allow employees to work from home due to adverse weather conditions.

“In view of the continuous rainfall in Gurugram and the forecast of further heavy rain over the coming days, there is a strong possibility of waterlogging and severe traffic congestion. To ensure public safety, reduce unnecessary traffic…We strongly urge the corporate sector and private establishments to allow their employees to work from home for the next few days,” Gurugram police said in a post on X.

With inputs from agencies