Water from Panchkula drain flowing into Zirakpur even in dry weather: Report

Last week, 16 residential societies in the Peer Muchhalla locality of Zirakpur were flooded after alleged opening of the duct of the storm drain on the Panchkula side

Presence of illegal sewerage connections in the storm drain laid by Panchkula is contributing to flooding in Zirakpur and Peer Muchalla.

The report, submitted to the Mohali deputy commissioner on July 28, a copy of which is with Hindustan Times, states that the drain pipe, with a circumference of 12 feet, has been laid by Panchkula authorities with an opening towards Punjab. (HT File Photo for representation)

Due to these illegal connections, water is constantly being discharged from the drain even when there is no rain in Panchkula, causing flooding in a Zirakpur pond, a report prepared by Dera Bassi sub-divisional magistrate Himanshu Gupta states.

Last week, 16 residential societies in the Peer Muchhalla locality of Zirakpur were flooded after alleged opening of the duct of the storm drain on the Panchkula side. A 34-year-old resident of Bliss Avenue Society was electrocuted to death amid the waterlogging.

The report, submitted to the Mohali deputy commissioner on July 28, a copy of which is with Hindustan Times, states that the drain pipe, with a circumference of 12 feet, has been laid by Panchkula authorities with an opening towards Punjab. The discharge from the pipeline floods shamlat land and a pond in Zirakpur, causing water to enter housing societies.

The report mentions that a check dam was erected to stop pond water from entering the societies, but it was decided not to raise the height of the bridge. This decision was taken to avoid causing irreparable damage in the societies in case of breach or overflow.

The report inquired about the status and suggested that if it was a sewerage pipe, the Panchkula municipal corporation should have connected the pipeline with the sewerage treatment plant. On the other hand, if it is a storm sewerage, the water should only flow during rain.

However, there is continuous discharge of water from the pipe, indicating that sewerage connections of commercial institutions had been illegally attached to the pipeline to discharge waste, as per the report.

Furthermore, the report argues that even if the discharge is considered storm water, it still does not justify opening it at the border, which causes flooding in Zirakpur and Peer Muchalla, both in Punjab. The report urges the Panchkula authorities to find a proper solution to fix the problem.

The report also calls upon the Mohali deputy commissioner (DC) to coordinate with authorities in Panchkula and find a solution.

When asked, DC Aashika Jain said the executive engineer of Panchkula MC, Sumit Malik, who visited the site, stated that the pipeline draining out water had been laid by the Haryana Shahri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), adding that she had already reached out to the Panchkula DC on Sunday to address the problem.

Sources said the executive engineer of HSVP had been asked to visit the site to ascertain the leakage point.