Sukhna flood gates opened after 10 yrs

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 24

Incessant rain over three days in the  catchment area  today  forced officials  of the UT Engineering Department to open the  flood gates of Sukhna Lake after the  water level crossed  the danger mark of 1,163 ft. Two  gates  were opened after a gap of 10 years. Before this, it was in 2008 that the flood gates of the lake were opened after the water level crossed the danger mark.

The gates remained  open  for around six  hours. Mukesh Anand, Special Secretary of the Engineering Department, said the gates were opened around 12.45  pm and  closed at 6.32 pm after the  water  level   normalised.

Though officials of the neighbouring towns  of Punjab and Haryana were informed in advance  before  opening the  gates,  it created  panic in areas  close to the Sukhna  choe,  which carried the  water to the  Ghaggar  in Panchkula.

The traffic  police  issued an advisory asking people to avoid the  route from Sector 26  to Kishangarh.  The   traffic was also stopped  on the  bridge  connecting Kishangarh  with Sector 26. A culvert near Makhan Majra  was submerged,  which halted traffic. Residents of Bapu Dham Colony  panicked  after the   water  level of the choe  touched the bridge  in the area. Traffic  between Sector 26  and IT Park was suspended till the   evening.

Prayers offered before opening gates

Labourers engaged by the Engineering Department offered prayers and conducted a small religious ceremony before opening the gates. They also distributed sweets on the occasion. Initially the gates were opened three inches and later, to increase the flow, these were opened 11 inches.

Home Secretary reviews situation 

Home Secretary Arun  Kumar  Gupta held a meeting with senior officers  of the Administration, which was  attended by the Secretary, Education,  the SSP, Chandigarh, the SSP, Security & Traffic, the Director, Public Relations, the Chief Engineer, UT, and  the Chief Engineer, MC, to assess the situation in view of the heavy rain. 

The Engineering Department was given directions to tackle the problem of potholes, waterlogging and uprooted trees. The police were instructed to deploy more personnel to regulate traffic. The disaster management team was also asked to remain on vigil and monitor the situation constantly.