When roads became waterways (Times of India 09 September 2011)

NEW DELHI: With seven vital intersections flooded within hours on Friday, the capital was locked in a traffic gridlock for the better part of the day. Peak-hour traffic was badly hit, both in the morning and evening, but there was little respite otherwise too. Major jams were reported from all across the city and commuters had horror stories to tell, one surpassing the other. People spent hours on the road over distances which usually take one-third of the time.
The key reason for life in the capital getting derailed was the flooding of Salimgarh bypass that connects north Delhi with the rest of the city; Moolchand underpass and Ashram Chowk connecting areas of south Delhi; Tilak Bridge that connects crossover traffic from all over the city; Bhairon Road and Vikas Marg underneath IP flyover that connect east Delhi with the rest of the city; and Naraina Chowk which gives access to west Delhi.
"Even a few minutes of traffic getting stalled at these key points result in traffic congestion. With these key links getting cut off, there were spiralling jams on other roads and massive pile-ups. Waterlogging elsewhere and breaking down of vehicles only added to the mess. We tried to make the best of an impossible situation," said joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg.

There was massive waterlogging under Salimgarh bypass. Being an arterial road giving access to north Delhi, it had a spiralling effect with massive jams reported from all across north Delhi. Traffic movement was also affected at Rajghat on Ring Road, IP College, Shyamlal College, Guru Nanak Chowk, Rani Jhansi Road and Boulevard Road.
In the east, the worst-hit, perhaps, was IP flyover with water accumulating underneath on Vikas Marg that wasn't cleared till late on Friday evening, causing the stretch to be closed for traffic moving from central to east Delhi. The Laxmi Nagar underpass remained flooded till late at night.

East Delhi was virtually cut off from the city with both Vikas Marg and Bhairon Road near the zoo heavily waterlogged. "The tail of traffic stretched as far back as NH-24 and there was little movement in front of Akshardham. Commuters going from east Delhi towards south and central Delhi edged forward inch by inch till mid-afternoon. The pile-up was massive," said a senior traffic police officer.
Ashram Chowk, too, was waterlogged, bringing traffic on Mathura Road to a halt. "As traffic was not allowed to turn underneath the flyover, the tail on either side stretched to more than a kilometre. Even the traffic crossing over the Chowk on the flyover was stuck in the jam. The Moolchand underpass was once again under water, adding to the mayhem," explained a senior traffic police officer.

As a result, traffic on Ring Road and Mathura Road remained congested all through the day, causing jams all over south Delhi for hours in the morning and afternoon. Geeta Balakrishan, a civil servant, said, "I was rushing for a meeting at Chanakyapuri. I was to reach at 11am and left two hours early, hoping that I would reach in time, but I had just about inched my way through to Amar Colony when I got into the middle of a two-and-a-half hour jam. It was terrible."
Heavy jams were reported from DND flyover, Maharani Bagh, Kalindi Kunj, Malviya Nagar Road, Chhatta Rail and Yusuf Sarai Road. The commuters as a result used colony roads in Defence Colony, Greater Kailash I and II, Chittaranjan Park and South Extension.
With the annual nightmare of Tilak Bridge going under water being repeated, crossover traffic from all parts of Delhi was affected.
Traffic in west Delhi was thrown out of gear with Naraina Chowk getting flooded. "Vehicles could not exit Ring Road from Naraina. There was a jam from Raja Garden to Dhaula Kuan as a result, " said a senior traffic police officer. Mayapuri Cowk and Rajouri Garden too were waterlogged.