New Delhi / NCR – The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday placed Ghaziabad and Noida under a red alert as intense rainfall continued to pound the National Capital Region (NCR), triggering waterlogging, traffic snarls, and flooding in low-lying areas.
The situation follows a devastating weather pattern sweeping across Himalayan states—including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Sikkim—where cloudbursts, landslides, and glacial lake overflows have displaced thousands, destroyed roads, and cut off remote villages.
This extreme rainfall, experts warn, reflects the deepening climate crisis, with Himalayan disturbances fueling storms and heavy downpours in the plains.
Weather Warnings Across NCR
- Ghaziabad and Noida: Upgraded to red alert as rains intensified Tuesday afternoon, with the IMD cautioning residents about flooding risks.
- Gurugram: The alert was downgraded from red to orange, valid till 5:30 pm, after torrential rains on Monday left the city submerged and traffic paralyzed.
- Delhi: The national capital moved from orange to yellow alert, with the IMD predicting intermittent showers and thunderstorms.
In Gurugram, day-long showers had caused massive waterlogging on Monday, leaving arterial roads submerged and commuters stranded for hours. The weather office predicted a partly cloudy sky with isolated heavy showers through Tuesday evening.
Impact of Himalayan Rains on the Plains
The heavy rains in the NCR are linked to monsoon disturbances fueled by a warming climate and the melting Himalayan glaciers. This has led to:
- Flash floods and landslides in Himachal, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim, destroying villages and roads.
- Overflowing of major rivers such as the Ganga, Yamuna, and Ghagra, flooding low-lying areas in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
- A domino effect in the plains, with cities like Delhi, Lucknow, Patna, Prayagraj, and Varanasi witnessing waterlogging, overflowing drains, and disruption of normal life.
Meteorologists are calling this a new normal where warmer air holds more moisture, causing short, intense rainfall events that overwhelm drainage systems and lead to urban flooding.
Wider Humanitarian Fallout
The recurring pattern of extreme rainfall has far-reaching consequences:
- Infrastructure Damage: Roads, bridges, and power networks have been battered in hill states, isolating villages and slowing relief efforts.
- Rural Exodus: Disasters in fragile Himalayan zones are forcing families to migrate to nearby towns, often ending up in informal settlements vulnerable to exploitation.
- Urban Chaos: Cities in the plains, with inadequate drainage systems, are increasingly unable to handle sudden rain bursts, leading to flooded streets and property losses.
- Rising River Levels: Rivers across northern India remain swollen, with embankments at risk, threatening agricultural lands and urban peripheries.
From the Himalayan foothills to the urban corridors of NCR, India is facing a dramatic shift in weather patterns. Climate experts point to global warming, glacial melt, and erratic monsoon systems as primary drivers of the ongoing crisis.
The escalation from cloudbursts in mountain regions to urban flooding in major cities demonstrates a cascading effect that leaves millions at risk.
Authorities are intensifying evacuation efforts, strengthening embankments, and advising residents in low-lying areas to remain vigilant. However, without long-term climate adaptation strategies, these extreme weather events are likely to become increasingly frequent and devastating.
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