Rain floods city roads, exposes poor drainage in Amritsar

Heavy rain on Sunday afternoon led to widespread waterlogging across the city, causing major inconvenience to commuters. The rainfall began around 1.30 pm and intensified into a heavy downpour by 2.30 pm, continuing until 3.30 pm.

Though the intensity decreased later in the day, overcast skies persisted, and isolated showers were reported in the evening. Several roads were submerged during the peak of the two-hour-long rainfall. Potholes, now hidden beneath pools of water, made driving hazardous. Low-lying areas bore the brunt, with several two-wheeler riders stranded in a knee-deep water.

Key roads, including Batala Road, Lawrence Road, Mall Road and GT Road, witnessed severe waterlogging. Even the BRTS lane is filled with rainwater. The situation was particularly grim on Majitha Road, where an ongoing gas pipeline project left long stretches dug up, worsening the waterlogging situation. Long traffic jams were witnessed at Vallah Chowk, where rainwater had accumulated in service lanes near an under-construction overbridge, further stalling vehicular movement.

Residents say the rain has once again exposed the inefficiency of the city’s stormwater drainage system. Narinder Sandhu, a resident of Partap Avenue said, “The drainage system just can’t handle even two hours of rain. By the time it stopped raining, many roads were already submerged.”

Another resident, Mohit Kumar said, “We expect better civic planning. This happens every time, nothing changes.” In contrast, the rural areas experienced less disruption. However, rain provided relief from the hot weather conditions as city witnessed a significant dip in the temperature. Weather experts are predicting rain and cloudy conditions to continue for the next 24 hours.