72.2mm rain in 2 hrs: Tricity left soaked, stranded, seething

This was the second heavy rain spell of the season. Earlier on the intervening night of July 9 and 10, the city had recorded 92.3 mm rain, however, it had not led to the kind of chaos seen on Tuesday.

A 46-year-old man from Panchkula’s Rajiv Colony was washed away in a drain while roads across the tricity witnessed widespread waterlogging and traffic snarls as 72.2 mm rain lashed the city in a span of two hours on Tuesday evening.

A waterlogged road in Chandigarh on Tuesday after the evening downpour. (Keshav Singh/HT)

This was the second heavy rain spell of the season. Earlier on the intervening night of July 9 and 10, the city had recorded 92.3 mm rain, however, it had not led to the kind of chaos seen on Tuesday.

The downpour started around 4.15 pm, stretching well into the office closure hours around 6.20 pm, causing traffic snarls all across.

The crumbling road infrastructure at many spots added to the misery – a road caved in near the Sector 26 petrol pump while a bridge, a part of a bridge over the Khatouli river in Barwala, collapsed, and another bridge near Nada Sahib gurdwara was washed away. In Kalka, a part of the bridge was washed away by the strong current of the Sukhna river, and three houses collapsed.

On Madhya Marg, roundabouts and slip roads around Sectors 7, 8, 9 and 26 were submerged, leaving vehicles stranded. A tree fell on the slip road near Sector 9, blocking the route completely.

Videos that emerged on social media showed water entering the basement shops in Sector 22 mobile market, damaging expensive mobile phones and cameras plus equipment.

The downpour also triggered a sharp rise in cab fares across the tricity, with commuters reporting long wait times and fares several times higher than usual. An office-goer, who works the evening shift, said cab aggregators were quoting ₹1,199 for a ride from her home in Sector 9, Chandigarh, to Sector 74, Mohali. On normal days, it costs around ₹250.

Another resident of Sector 22 said, “I tried booking multiple cabs but either the wait time was over 20 minutes or the fare was almost three times the normal rate.”

For commuters travelling towards New Chandigarh, journeys that normally take minutes stretched into hours. Nikita Mehta, a Sector 23 resident who works in Industrial Area Phase 2, said it took her nearly an hour to cover the stretch between Tribune Chowk and Dainik Bhaskar Chowk.

Riya Datta, a resident of New Chandigarh, shared, “I had to wait at every light point for more than 20 minutes. I left the office at 5.30pm and reached home by 9pm. I believe there must be better ways to deal with traffic. Bottlenecks and deadlocks just after two hours of rain isn’t how Le Corbusier visioned the first planned city of India.”

Neha Kapoor, a commuter travelling to Zirakpur, “The water was knee-deep at several points and it was difficult to tell where the road ended and the waterlogging began. Seeing ambulances stuck in the congestion was particularly worrying.”

In Mohali, waterlogging slowed traffic on several stretches, particularly Airport Road. Flooded service roads forced vehicles onto the main carriageway, increasing the traffic load.

“The service road was completely flooded, so everyone is being forced to use the main road. This has increased the traffic load and made the journey difficult,” said Rishab, a commuter.

Traffic movement in Kharar, however, remained normal.

Several roads and low-lying areas in Panchkula were also flooded, causing problems for residents and commuters. SK Nayar, president of the Citizens’ Welfare Association and a Sector 15 resident, said two large trees fell on a road due to heavy rain, blocking traffic. He said several roads remained waterlogged for hours. In Sector 9, the water receded around 1 pm. In Sector 15, two to three feet of water accumulated on roads opposite Amartex Chowk.