2 Sukhna Lake floodgates opened

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 10

Continuing rain in the region forced the UT Engineering Department to open two of the three floodgates of the Sukhna Lake up to nearly 4-5 ft, for the first time. The water level crossed the danger mark by nearly two feet this morning.

An official said one floodgate had remained open throughout the night, while the other was opened around 9.30 am today. The water level of the lake reached nearly 1,165 ft, which was the highest level so far, he said, adding that as the water level kept on increasing in the lake, the height of the gates was further increased. The gates were opened up to their maximum height of 4-5 ft, he added. As the water level dropped, the gates were also lowered to nearly 10-12 inches. At present, the lake level is nearly 1,163.50 ft, he said.

After incessant rain, one of the three floodgates was opened at 5.35 am yesterday when the water level reached 1,164 ft and the second floodgate was opened around 7 am.

One floodgate was closed around 3.30 pm, while the other had remained open the whole night as Sukhna catchment received heavy rain.

The official said before opening the floodgates, they had alerted the district administrations of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula. As a precautionary measure, the bridges on Sukhna Choe in the city were blocked.

Last year, the floodgates were opened six times. The last time these were opened on September 26, 2022. In 2021, the water level had crossed the danger mark in August and the floodgates had to be opened five times — on August 9 and 14, and September 21, 23 and 30.

Two floodgates had to be opened in August 2020 after the water level crossed the danger mark. It had caused a widespread flooding in the low-lying areas of Zirakpur situated alongside the Sukhna Choe. On September 24, 2018, incessant rain in Sukhna catchment had forced the officials to open the floodgates after a gap of 10 years. The choe carries lake water to the Ghaggar river.

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