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Chandigarh’s monsoon readiness efforts continue to drag
Despite the forecast for above normal monsoon in the city this year, the municipal corporation (MC) and UT engineering department are yet to finish the cleaning of road gullies
Despite the forecast for above normal monsoon in the city this year, the municipal corporation (MC) and UT engineering department are yet to finish the cleaning of road gullies.
While the MC officials claimed that nearly 60% of the road gullies and stormwater drainages have been cleaned, the UT officials pegged it at 40% on the roads under their jurisdiction.
Both claim that work of cleaning the gullies and drainages would be completed within a couple of weeks, well before the monsoon starts.
Civic body’s plan
The MC has prepared a detailed plan to meet the monsoon challenge this year, under which some steps have already been taken, while others will be implemented in June-July.
Speaking about the same, MC commissioner Anindita Mitra said, “MC has deployed 143 multi-task workers to clean the road gullies. Pumps installed to flush out the rain water under bridges in Sector 15, Industrial Area, etc have been inspected and got repaired. The blockages at all tail ends have been removed for smooth flow of rainwater in shoes (seasonal rivulets).”
The MC will also deploy a special team during nighttime from July to September to remove the water logging during rain.
“A control room with telephone attendant 24 x 7 will be set up for the period July to September for the convenience of residents to lodge complaints of water logging in their area or flooding. 15 monitoring teams consisting of one SDE and two JEs will be put in place to check the respective area during rain to avoid flooding,” Mitra said.
A smaller section of city main roads, and seasonal rivulets come under the UT engineering department.
UT chief engineer.CB Ojha, meanwhile, said, “We will complete the cleaning up of drainages and road gullies within a couple of weeks. Duty roaster for the monsoons has been prepared and circulated. Cleaning up of choes is in line with the planning.”
Waterlogging witnessed each year
Flooding in some parts and water logging roads have become commonplace in the monsoon years despite the MC and UT claims of full preparedness. The administration has claimed to have cleaned the road gullies, but many roads were flooded and disrupted traffic for long hours last year as well.
The MC officials conceded that waterlogging could still plague traffic movement
during the monsoons, saying, “We are ensuring that no flooding takes place due to blocked gullies and faulty storm water drainage. But despite cleaning of gullies, waterlogging can still happen.”
“If the downpour is heavy, the storm water drainage gets more rainwater than their capacity, so roads get flooded. But because these are being cleaned, water will not remain on roads for long,” an official added
.
