Region’s heaviest rain throws life out of gear in Chandigarh tricity areas

Chandigarh received the region’s heaviest rainfall, throwing the normal life out of gear in the city during the past 24 hours. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places in Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana on Monday.

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After receiving 34mm downpour a day before, the city experienced 119.5mm rain coupled with thunderstorm and lightning till 8:30 am on Sunday, which was the heaviest in Punjab and Haryana, the weathermen confirmed.

The heaviest monsoon rainfall left major parts of the tricity region, comprising Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula, inundated. There were reports of roads caving in, trees and poles getting uprooted at several locations damaging the public property, and major disruption in power and water supply, which crippled the normal life.

The civic authorities were caught napping once again with the residents left to fend for themselves in the waterlogged roads and streets. Cave-ins, clogged drains & road gullies, uprooted trees and poles led to chaos on roads in Chandigarh and Mohali.

In Mohali, the residents once again spent the sleepless night with the power supply remaining suspended from 11 pm to 5 am. The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) officials attributed the fresh disruption, after the 12-hour outage on Friday night, to a breakdown caused by the rain and thunderstorm.

Confirming that the southwest monsoon covered the entire country on Sunday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain coupled with thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places in Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana on Monday.

“Light to moderate rainfall over many to most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places likely to continue over Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana till July 1,” the weathermen said.

The IMD said the chief amount of rainfall was recorded in Chandigarh (12 cm), Ropar (11 cm), Ambala Cantonment and Ambala City (9 cm each).

Meanwhile, Chandigarh recorded a maximum of 30.2 and minimum 23.6 degree Celsius on Sunday, which was 3.7 degrees and 0.2 degree, respectively, less than Saturday, and below normal by 6.1 and 3 degrees, respectively.

The weathermen have predicted a generally and partly cloudy sky with thunderstorms and rain in the tricity till July 4.