Residents recount nightmare, losses

Pavneet Singh Chadha

Tribune News Service

Mohali, August 22

Carpets drying in the sun, furniture soaked in water, non-operational cars, beds on top of bricks, muck and sludge on the streets were common scenes as residents in the city recounted the damages they suffered from the deluge yesterday.

A day after the tricity witnessed a flood-like situation and the city came to a standstill, residents complained about the financial loss suffered due to incessant rainfall.

Residents in low-lying areas of 3B2, Phase 1 and Phase 5 blamed the authorities for inept administration as rainwater entered the houses causing substantial damage to property.

Sumit Verma, a resident of Phase 1, said: “My entire house was submerged in 4-5 feet water. There is a lot of damage to the furniture and the car. The extent of loss is Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000.”

Tejinder Singh, a resident of Phase 3B2, said: “Electrical appliances, including TV, A/C stabiliser, were seen floating. Water entered the cupboards ruining books, clothes and documents. My laptop was also damaged. The cost of repairing the car engine alone is Rs 30,000.”

Residents blamed the authorities for the waterlogging due to inefficient drainage system.

“Drainage pipes are old and need to be replaced. The diameter of pipes should be about one foot, twice the current size,” said BC Gupta, a resident of Phase 2.

Another resident, Inderjit Singh, a retired engineer from the Public Works Department, said the authorities must exercise foresight when constructing roads.

He said: “Due to routine carpeting every 3-4 years, the level of road has increased by at least 8 inches. Hence, water trickles down into the low-lying houses till knee length. These houses were built 40 years back and since then, the road level has increased.”

Another resident said: “It is fortunate that there was no loss of life. Drainage has been a problem in these low-lying areas. The residents razed down the boundary wall on the main road in desperation so that water flows out. The authorities are inept. There is no planning or coordination between the nodal agencies.”

Raju, a resident of Phase 5, said rainwater had entered the cupboards and damaged his education certificates and property-related documents.

The gurdwara in Phase 5 was inundated with rainwater with up to 5-6 feet causing damage to grain in stores.

“Rice, sugar, pulses, flour and beans worth Rs 50,000 have been wasted. Over 200 mattresses have been damaged,” said an employee of the gurdwara.

Mohali Deputy Commissioner Gurpreet Kaur Sapra said: “I intend to hold a meeting with officials from the MC, Public Health and GMADA to assess the damage and prepare a contingency plan for future calamities.”

“I spent four hours yesterday in the affected areas. I admit that our reaction time must be better in dealing with the situation,” she said.

Urging the citizens for community support in such a situation, she said: “People must leave one lane vacant for recovery vehicles and fire tenders.”

Shashank Anand, UT SSP (Traffic and Security), said a taskforce and a disaster management team might be formed for better management. He said: “We are going to identify vulnerable points where the vehicular traffic was choked and will try to solve the problem in coordination with civic agencies.”

Mohali MC Commissioner Rajesh Dhiman rejected the criticism regarding inefficient drainage system. He said: “Water was completely drained out within 2-3 hours. The system is working efficiently. There were a few places where the natural flow of water was blocked and we will rectify the problem in the coming days. In every monsoon, some rainwater collects in low-lying areas.”