Panchkula: Ghaggar course shift worries residents

Panchkula, August 1

The Ghaggar river has shifted its course towards Sector 26, 27 and 28, posing a threat to several homes in the area.

Residents said the water level was not alarmingly high yet, but the recent uprooting of trees near the river banks raised fears of potential inundation.

Major General Rupinder Singh (retd), a resident of Sector 28, said there was a need for an immediate preventive action to divert the river’s flow away from the residential area to avert a potential disaster.

Following the residents’ pleas, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) deployed two poclain machines and a JCB machine on Monday morning to alter the course of the river away from the threatened localities.

The recent floods caused breaching of the banks of the Ghaggar in Haryana and Punjab. The floods were triggered by excessive rains in Himachal Pradesh and other higher reaches, leading to a significant impact on the adjoining areas.

One area severely affected by the deluge was the Herbal Park at Sector 26, Panchkula, which suffered extensive destruction of land and the unique flora and fauna that had given it a distinctive identity.