Chandigarh on Sunday marked the wettest day in 70 years as the city received a record 325.5 mm rainfall between 8:30 am on Saturday and 8:30 am on Sunday — breaking an all-time record for the highest amount of rainfall in 24 hours in July.
For the first time, both the floodgates of the Sukhna Lake were opened up to seven inches. Usually, both the flood gates were opened to a maximum of two to three inches.
Knee-deep water entered various houses of the city’s villages, while most of the city roads were waterlogged roads.
The previous wettest day since the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) started maintaining records, was recorded in 1953, said the IMD officials, adding that 262 mm rainfall was recorded in 2000 on July 18 which was the previous all-time highest record.
According to the latest weather forecast, the city is likely to receive continuous rainfall for the next five days.
Chandigarh IMD director AK Singh said: “While the monsoon system is also active, there is a strong western disturbance (WD) which primarily led to the rain on Saturday. The confluence of the two systems led to this heavy spell of rain.”
Moreover, apart from Chandigarh, the highest amount of rain was recorded at Nangal Dam in Punjab’s Ropar district with 282.5 mm rainfall followed by Ballowal Saundra with 270 mm rainfall and Tiber with 245 mm rainfall. In Haryana, Radaur in Yamuna Nagar received 246 mm rainfall followed by Kalka with 244 mm and Panchkula with 239 mm.
Meanwhile, in the wake of unprecedented rainfall in the region, Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh reviewed the situation in the city and for the safety and well-being of the citizens, Emergency Control Rooms were set up at three strategic locations in the city - Sector 15, Manimajra, and Sector 17- ICCC.
The control room numbers are 2540200, 8146985714, 2738082, 9056344434, and 2787200, 8194977201 respectively. According to the officials, the MCC has also formed 18 Quick Response Teams (QRTs) to address issues of waterlogging, fallen trees, disruption of drinking water supply, electrocution, and other emergencies. These teams are well-equipped to handle any kind of emergency situation that may arise due to the heavy rainfall.
MCC Commissioner Anindita Mitra also visited the affected areas along with other officials to assess the situation and the progress made by the on-field staff in restoring normalcy.
Huge water logging was seen in Khudda Lahora and machinery deployed. In Daddumajra, suction tankers were deployed to prevent Lechate from flowing onto the roads.
In the statement, the officials said that an advisory has been issued to the citizens of Chandigarh, urging them to stay indoors and avoid going out unless it is absolutely necessary. The advisory also includes instructions on what to do in case of an emergency and how to stay safe during heavy rainfall, they added.
Meanwhile, a part of the road dividing Sectors 14 and 15 towards the Sector 14 side caved in this morning. The traffic police diverted traffic from Sector 14/15 light point towards the PGI chowk and put out advisories asking people to take alternative routes.
In another incident, a major part of a 15-20-foot-high wall collapsed near Dadumajra landfill on Sunday morning. As a result, leachate from the dumping ground mixed with dirty water entered the houses of residents because of the incessant rains.