Sukhna floodgate opened as water level nears danger mark, 7th time this monsoon

With the water level of Sukhna Lake nearing the danger mark of 1,163 feet, one floodgate was opened late Friday night to release excess water, officials said.

According to officials, the gate was opened around 11 pm, marking the seventh time this monsoon season that floodgates have been opened. The previous openings took place on August 6, 8, 15, 17, 19, and 29.

The floodgate was opened to discharge excess water into the Ghaggar River via the Sukhna Choe.

The UT Engineering Department has deployed officials at the regulator end of the lake on a 24x7 basis and CCTV cameras have also been installed to regularly monitor the water level of the lake.

A control room has also been established to coordinate with the district administration of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula for a proper communication during the opening of floodgates.

Officials said that the administrations of neighbouring districts were alerted before opening of the floodgates.

Floodgates were opened four times in 2023, six times in 2022, and five times in 2021.

Opening of two floodgates in August 2020 caused a widespread flooding in the low-lying areas of Zirakpur situated alongside the Sukhna Choe.

On September 24, 2018, the floodgates were opened after a gap of 10 years.