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Chaos, misery, apathy: Chandigarh tricity’s drowning story has it all
Civic bodies’ claims of monsoon preparedness washed away as rainwater floods main roads and residential streets alike, crippling normal life
While the heavy rain on Saturday had no impact on air and rail traffic in the tricity, the situation was much different on roads that were left inundated for hours, breaking down vehicles, stranding motorists and hitting residents’ weekend plans.
Even though the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) had claimed that monsoon preparedness was in full swing, the incessant rain on Saturday turned roads into ponds, not only in the periphery but across the city.
Traffic jams were the order of the day, especially on the Sector 11/15 dividing road, Sector 27/28 light point, Colony Number 4 light point from Poultry Farm Chowk, Sector 7/26 light point, Sector 19/27/20/30 junction, Sector 29 ITI light point, Sector 20/21 dividing road, Sector 25/38 light point, Matka Chowk, Press light point, Makhan Majra road, Sector 20/34 roundabout, Gurdwara Chowk on Dakshin Marg, Madhya Marg near Sector 8, Sector 35/36 roundabout and Industrial Area, Phases 1 and 2. Locals and traffic police volunteers were seen attempting to unclog blocked road gullies.
Traffic police regularly alerted road users about waterlogged roads and traffic flow on their social media platforms.
At some hotels in Sector 35, rain water entered basements. Baljinder Singh, owner of Hotel Metro, said, “The area has been dug up for laying storm water pipelines. The water from there entered into the basement of four to five properties here. It’s common sense not to carry out digging in monsoon.”
In Hallomajra, Manimajra, Burail, Dhanas, Daria and other villages, several areas remained flooded for as long as 12 hours.
“The civic body is paying no heed towards developing the peripheries of the City Beautiful and every year, it’s the same story in monsoon,” a resident, Vikas, said.
MC officials blamed the city’s storm water drainage system that does not have enough capacity to handle high volume of rainfall. The drainage system has been designed to handle only 15 mm rain per hour in northern sectors and 20 mm per hour in the south. When it rains more than this, it takes the water around 30 minutes to clear out.
MC commissioner Anindita Mitra said civic body teams were working round-the-clock to mitigate waterlogging. “A total of 18 teams have been deployed to oversee maintenance, whereas two 24x7 control centres have been set up at Sector 15 and Manimajra where residents can lodge waterlogging complaints at 0172-2540-200 and 0172-2738-082, respectively. Since the natural N-choe is completely filled due to high intensity of rain, the drainage of rainwater is taking time.”
Traffic movement hit on Mohali’s Airport Road
Similar scenes were seen in Mohali, as rainwater flooded several roads, slowing down traffic flow.
Vehicle movement on Airport Road, a major traffic lifeline, was majorly hit. Long traffic jams were also witnessed on the Zirakpur-Delhi highway, where commuters remained stuck for hours.
Though the Mohali MC had taken steps to prevent waterlogging, the same fell short as the residents were once again put to misery.
The worst-affected areas remained Phase 3B2, Phase 4, Phase 5, Phase 11, Kumbra-Balongi Road. Waterlogging was also reported from various colonies.
“As many as 12 pumps have been pressed into service to clear storm water from city roads,” said deputy commissioner Aashika Jain.
She added, “A fire brigade each was stationed at the railway underpasses in Mubarakpur and Janitpur. Besides, the storm water was pumped out to keep the underpasses operational.”
Jain said the vulnerable point of Ghaggar at Tiwana village, where it takes a sharp turn, was also being monitored closely to tackle any untoward situation.
She said the Bhankharpur gauge of Ghaggar had registered a flow of 4 feet that was far below the low flood mark of 7 feet.
Residents at receiving end in Panchkula too
Waterlogged roads exposed the tall claims of Panchkula MC of being adequately prepared for monsoon. Waterlogging was reported from the underpass in Sector 19, Tawa Chowk, Abhaypur, Industrial Area, Phase 2, Harmilap Nagar, Rajeev Colony, Indira Colony and Sector 20.
“All road gullies were blocked, leading to waterlogging. Panchkula has an old drainage system that compounds the problem,” said SK Nayar, president, Citizens’ Welfare Association.
“MC has been spending crores, but has failed to provide solution to waterlogging,” said Mohinder, president, Sector 19 RWA.
MC commissioner Sachin Gupta visited various inundated spots with officers of the engineering and sanitation wings. MC’s rapid action task force remained on toes to tackle complaints of waterlogging. Complaints can be made at helpline number 9696-120-120.
Chief sanitary inspector Avinash Singla said, “They received calls from Sectors 2, 16, 19 and 25, where the task force was pressed into action.”
Trees collapse in Chandigarh, Mohali
Amid the heavy rain, a tree fell on two vehicles at Chandigarh Police Headquarters in Sector 9. Fire wing teams rushed to the spot and removed the branches. A tree was also uprooted in Sector 8, leading to a traffic jam.
A car parked outside a house in Sector 19-D also got damaged after a tree fell on it. Car owner Amit Kumar is the maternal uncle of Heerakshi, a Carmel Convent School student, who was killed in the tree collapse at the school exactly one year ago on July 8, 2022.
In Mohali, a tree collapsed in front of House Number 40 in Phase 7, damaging some vehicles and snapping power supply for sometime.
A part of a boundary wall along a field collapsed in Ekta Vihar Colony in Baltana. No one was hurt. In Kharar, an unsafe building on Landran Road was evacuated by the Mohali administration.
Stay away from Ghaggar: Panchkula DC to residents
Amid the heavy rains, the Panchkula administration has appealed to residents to stay away from Ghaggar river in anticipation of heavy flow from Himachal Pradesh. Violating directives of authorities and despite imposition of Section 144 CrPC, residents can still be seen fishing in the swollen Ghaggar river and children continue to look for coins without fear of being swept away.
“The district administration has taken necessary precautions and remains on alert in anticipation of the increased water flow in the river. The administration will continue to monitor the situation and take necessary steps to mitigate any potential risks associated with the heavy water flow in the river,” said deputy commissioner Priyanka Soni.
In the wake of increasing level of Sukhna Choe near Baltana, the in-charge of Baltana police post, Jasanpreet Singh, has also urged residents to be cautious while carrying out any activity near the stream.
Raahgiri programme cancelled
In view of the rainy weather, the Raahgiri event, which promotes community engagement and active lifestyles, which was planned in Panchkula on July 9 with the presence of Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, has been cancelled.
