Sukhna Lake floodgate opened again, second time in 24 hours

Within 24 hours, the UT Administration opened one of the three floodgates of the Sukhna Lake last night after the water level reached near the danger mark of 1,163 feet.

According to officials, one floodgate was opened around 11 pm last night and was closed around 4 pm today after the water level dropped to 1,162.30 ft. It was the seventh time when floodgates were opened this monsoon. Earlier, the floodgates were opened on August 29, 19, 17, 15, 8 and 6. The excess water of the lake is released into Ghaggar through the Sukhna Choe.

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

The officials said that the district administrations of the 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. The 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.