35mm rain in two hours sinks Chandigarh's northern sectors
This reflected in the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) observatories too – the main observatory at Sector 39 recorded only trace rain (less than 0.1 mm) while the weather station installed at KBDAV School in Sector 7 logged 35 mm rain was recorded between 3.30 pm and 5.30 pm.
The South Campus of Panjab University was the first to receive the rain, around 3:30 pm. In around 10-15 minutes, the North campus too witnessed heavy rainfall following which it spread to other nearby sectors, with Sector 8, 9 15 and 16 remaining the worst-affected. The underpass in Sector 17 was also completely inundated.
Speaking about the localised nature of the rain, IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said, 'The monsoon system isn't very strong right now. During such times, the weather systems are of small size and move in the direction of higher humidity, based on topography. This leads to localised rainfall in the city.'
Congress president HS Lucky, meanwhile, said, 'The city was brought to a grinding halt today after just an hour of rain. This highlights the urgent need for a complete overhaul of the city's drainage and disaster-preparedness systems.'
The city's decades-old drainage system, especially those in Sectors 1 to 30, is equipped to handle only 25 mm rain per hour.
Lucky hit out at the BJP-led municipal corporation, saying, ' Today rain has exposed the MC's utter failure in managing the infrastructure of a city that has been ranked second in the Swachh Survekshan.'
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chandigarh president Vijay Pal said, 'For years, the civic body has been under BJP's control. Crores of rupees from the budget went into contractors' pockets, yet the citizens received neither a robust drainage system nor a proper flood management plan. BJP has treated Chandigarh only as a vote bank, ignoring the real issues of its citizens.'
Maheshinder Singh Sidhu, the councillor for Sectors 1 to 10, said, 'The unprecedented rainfall within a short span of time today was nothing short of a cloudburst and the enormous volume of water overwhelmed the storm and sewer network resulting in a deluge in the northern sectors.'
Meanwhile, MC officials said that in an effort to ensure swift response and redressal of water-logging and rain-related emergencies, special flood control teams are working across the city.
As per Met officials, a Western Disturbance (WD) is likely to hit the city over the weekend, raising chances of heavy rain.
2 floodgates of Sukhna opened
Two of the three floodgates of Sukhna Lake were opened after the water level at the lake crossed the danger mark of 1,163 feet. This is the fifth time this season that the water has crossed the danger mark, necessitating the opening of floodgates, but the first time that two floodgates were opened in one go.
This led to the Mubarakpur causeway in Dera Bassi to get completely submerged in Ghaggar river – the second time in 10 days. The causeway is a vital shortcut connecting Derabassi to Dhakoli. With its closure, commuters were forced to battle heavy jams on the main highway or take a much longer detour through Zirakpur, resulting in wastage of time and fuel.
Derabassi DSP Bikramjit Singh Brar said the situation is being monitored and appealed to residents to stay away from floodwater and move to safer locations if required.
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