E-Paper
Chandigarh: Sukhna Lake’s floodgate opened after heavy rain
Sukhna Lake’s loodgates are opened before the water touches the danger mark to avoid flooding in Baltana and Zirakpur areas of Mohali
Amid heavy rainfall on Saturday night, one of the three floodgates of Sukhna Lake had to be opened as its water level approached the danger mark of 1,163 feet.
As soon as the level reached 1162.45 feet, the floodgate was opened around 1.30 am and remained open even till 6 pm on Sunday, as the water level took time to recede because of the continuous overnight rain in the city and in the lake’s catchment area, officials of the UT engineering department said.
They said the floodgates are opened before the water touches the danger mark to avoid flooding in Baltana and Zirakpur areas of Mohali. When two floodgates were opened on August 23, 2020, the low-lying locations in both areas had suffered flooding.
Last year also, the floodgates had to be opened five times, on August 9 and 14, and September 21, 23 and 30. However, after multiple spells of heavy rain this year, the gate was opened far earlier, less than 20 days since the monsoon was declared on June 30.
While during light rain, the forestation around the lake stops the water midway, heavy rain over 50 mm leads to the water entering the lake and causing its level to rise, officials said.
Advisory issued by traffic police
The release of lake water prompted the traffic police to issue an advisory about nearby roads and bridges to be avoided. Police advised commuters not to take the bridges near the cremation ground in Industrial Area, Phase 1; Makhan Majra; backside of Bapu Dham Colony in Sector 26; and near Kishangarh as lake water overflowed onto the bridges.
Sultry weather returns after rain
A total of 51.7 mm rain was recorded till Sunday morning, but sultry weather conditions persisted thereon.
According to the India Meteorological Department, similar weather will continue on Monday also, while there are chances of more rain in the city from Tuesday onwards.
Meanwhile, the maximum temperature went down from 37.1°C on Saturday to 34.4°C on Sunday. The minimum temperature also dipped from 26.4°C to 24.3°C. Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will stay around 34°C and the minimum temperature around 25°C.
