Chandigarh asks Mohali to clean Sukhna choe in its area

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 16

To avoid a repeat of the last year’s flooding downstream the Sukhna choe in the Baltana area of Zirakpur, the UT Engineering Department has written to the authorities in Mohali to clean the choe in their area.

On August 23 last year, two of the three floodgates of Sukhna Lake were opened after its water level reached the danger mark of 1,163 feet. The opening of the flood gates led to a flash flood in Sukhna choe, which carries water to Ghaggar river. As a result, the choe overflowed in Baltana and flooded the area. The water entered the Baltana police post and the MC Park in its vicinity.

As the situation turned worse, the police had to remove the records and other important documents to a safer location, but some files and papers got damaged in the flood water. Later, the police post was vacated completely as the water level rose to around 5 feet.

Farmers and local residents feared that if the water level increased further, it could cause damage to the houses and fields near the rivulet.

An official of the UT Engineering Department said the work on cleaning the choe in the city was nearly completed and if the cleaning work was not taken up in the Baltana area, it could again lead to flooding of the area.

The Engineering Department has also deputed three sub-divisional engineers to keep a watch on the Sukhna water level. As the monsoon would advance, the water level of the lake would be recorded every two hours, the official said, adding that after the rain, the water level in the lake was today recorded at 1156.40 feet.

Meanwhile, household waste and construction debris were illegally dumped into the N-choe – a seasonal rivulet which carries storm water of the city into the Ghaggar. Despite allocation of designated sites and door-to-door collection of garbage by the Municipal Corporation, waste was being dumped into the choe which could block the natural flow of storm water and lead to overflowing in the area, said LR Budaniya, an environmentalist.