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Rain fury: Buddha Nullah breaches, residents locked in homes
At several places, the Nullah overflowed on the roads and residential colonies creating a flood-like situation leaving the area three to four feet under water
: Panic gripped the residents of low-lying areas located along the Buddha Nullah after the level of the water body rose to an alarming level in the wee hours of Sunday.
People remained locked in their homes throughout the day as rain and sewage water inundated several areas of the city.
At several places, the Nullah overflowed on the roads and residential colonies creating a flood-like situation leaving the area three to four feet under water. The areas which remained severely affected include Dhoka Mohalla, New Deep Nagar, Sunder Gaushal road, Madhopuri Chander Nagar, Kundanpuri, Vivek Nagar, Shivaji Nagar, Ranjit Singh Park and New Kundanpuri.
Several disposers installed in the low-lying parts of the city to drain the sewage water were also filled up to the capacity and overflowed at several places, including at Shivaji Nagar. Several bridges over the Nullah were also drowned as heaps of wild grass got stuck under them, causing the water to overflow.
“After the heavy showers in the wee hours, the manholes and road gullies in the area started overflowing, and the water also entered our homes and shops leaving no way out,” said Ishmeet Singh, a resident of Dhoka Mohalla. He said that procuring even necessities has become a hard task.
Sandbags placed by the civic body to stop the Nullah from overflowing and strengthening the banks also turned out to be of no use. Karan Kumar, a resident of Shivaji Nagar said, “Water from the Nullah entered our bedrooms. We are trying to drain it out since early morning.” He said that the whole road outside his home is inundated with sewage and rainwater.
Ludhiana (Central) MLA Ashok Prashar Pappi also visited the affected areas and raised questions on the quality of the chain link fencing established by the civic body along the Nullah.
Municipal Corporation officials said that efforts are being made to fortify the banks along the Nullah. MC commissioner Shena Aggarwal said that pumps have been installed in areas which have been affected by the overflow. She said that the situation is under control and residents should not panic.
The arterial roads, including Old GT Road, Chandigarh Road, Pakhowal Road, Ferozepur Road Ghumar Mandi, Mall Road, Link Road between Samrala Chowk to Bus stand, Dugri Road, old GT Road, Mall Road, Transport Nagar Road, Hambran Road, Atam Nagar, Dholewal Chowk and Gill road were flooded with sewer and rainwater.
Civic body cuts down the water supply
Aiming to reduce discharge in sewer lines and control waterlogging, the civic body has cut down the water supply during the afternoon hours and reduced the water supply by two hours in the evening.
The water will now be supplied to the households from 6 pm to 8 pm. The supply will continue normally during the morning hours, MC officials said.
It is a precautionary step and will remain in effect till the water level of Buddha Nullah returns to normal level, the officials said.
Dyeing units directed to shut operations
In the wake of rising level of the Buddha Nullah, the dyeing units located in three different clusters in the city - Focal Point, Bahadur Ke Road, Tajpur Road and other parts of the city have been asked to shut operations to reduce the discharge into the Nullah.
