Gurgaon rain leaves school bus stuck in traffic for 8 hours amid severe waterlogging; Class 2 girl trapped for 8 hours comes home hungry and traumatised

Gurgaon witnessed a chaotic school commute on Monday after heavy rain flooded several roads and brought traffic to a standstill, leaving children trapped inside school buses for hours. A Class 2 girl, Kiara, left her school in Sector 47 at around 12.30pm but reached her home in Sector 51 only at 8.30pm, leaving her traumatised and stressed. The Times of India reported the incident.

Kiara was among several children who spent between three and six hours inside school buses as waterlogged roads and traffic jams blocked their routes. Parents could only track buses, call schools and exchange updates on messaging groups as the situation worsened across Gurgaon.

Parents wade through flooded roads to reach children

Subhash Chowk emerged as one of the worst-affected stretches, with several school buses unable to move through the waterlogged roads. Parents who tried to reach the buses also struggled to make their way through the flooded streets.

Some parents waded through around 3.5 feet of water for several hundred metres to reach the stranded buses. They then escorted children out of the vehicles and carried some of them through the water before their guardians could take them home, according to a parent quoted by TOI.

Parents described the situation as frightening, particularly because they could not reach their children quickly. Many worried about children going hungry, needing to use the toilet or falling ill while remaining stuck inside buses for hours.

One parent told TOI that the situation was “horrifying to the core”, questioning how children could remain trapped for so long despite families paying taxes and relying on the city's infrastructure.

Children reach home hungry and stressed

Aarav and Aarush were among the children who remained stuck near Subhash Chowk. Their bus stood stationary from around 12.30pm as waterlogging and other broken-down vehicles added to the traffic chaos. They eventually reached home around 5pm, stressed and hungry.

The prolonged ordeal also left parents questioning the city's preparedness for heavy monsoon showers. Several families said even a few hours of rain regularly bring major roads to a standstill, making it difficult for parents to reach children or for emergency teams to move through affected areas.

The flooding also disrupted traffic across several parts of Gurgaon. The district recorded significant rainfall on Monday, with waterlogging affecting major roads and forcing authorities to take measures to reduce movement on Tuesday.

Gurgaon issues WFH advisory on August 25

The situation prompted the Gurugram district administration to issue a work-from-home advisory for August 25. The District Disaster Management Authority advised corporate offices, government and private schools and other institutions to allow employees and staff to work from home to reduce traffic and help civic agencies carry out road and drain repair work.

The administration also advised government and private schools and educational institutions to conduct classes online on August 25 because of continued waterlogging and traffic concerns.

The advisory came after Monday's rain exposed the difficulty Gurgaon faces in keeping traffic moving when heavy showers overwhelm roads and drainage systems.

(With TOI inputs)