56 hours on, Sukhna floodgate reopened as water level hits danger mark

Following rainfall in the city and its catchment area, one of the three floodgates of Sukhna Lake was opened again on Friday at around 7.30 pm, after the water level reached near to the danger mark of 1,163 feet.

The floodgate was opened to release excess water into the Ghaggar river through the Sukhna Choe.

According to officials, the gate was opened three inches after the water level reached 1,162.95 ft, and it would be closed once the level recedes to nearly 1,162 ft.

Earlier, the floodgate had been opened six inches around 11 am on Wednesday after two years. It remained open for 12 hours when the water level dropped to 1,162.20 ft.

The UT Engineering Department has deployed officials at the regulator end of the lake on a 24x7 basis. CCTV cameras have been installed to regularly monitor water levels, and a control room has been established to coordinate with the district administration of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula for proper communication during the opening of floodgates.

Officials said the district administrations of the neighbouring districts were alerted before opening of the floodgate. The department had also opened the floodgates to check their working condition on June 28.

Floodgates were opened four times in 2023, six times in 2022, and five times in 2021. Opening two floodgates in August 2020 caused widespread flooding in low-lying areas of Zirakpur, situated alongside the Sukhna Choe. Prior to that, the gates had last been opened on September 24, 2018, after a gap of 10 years.