UT opens Sukhna Lake floodgate for third time this monsoon season

Following recent rainfall in the catchment area, one of the three floodgates of Sukhna Lake was opened around 7 PM today as the water level reached the danger mark of 1,163 feet. This marks the third time this season the floodgate has been opened, with previous openings occurring on August 6 and 8 to manage excess water flowing into the Ghaggar River via the Sukhna Choe.

Officials reported that the floodgate was raised by four inches when the water level hit 1,163 feet and will remain open until the level recedes to at least 1,162 feet.

The UT Engineering Department has deployed personnel at the lake's regulator on a 24x7 basis and CCTV cameras have been installed for continuous monitoring. A control room has also been established to coordinate communication with the district administrations of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula during the floodgate operations.

Prior to the opening, the district administrations of neighboring areas were alerted. The floodgates were previously tested on June 28.

The gates have been opened four times in 2023, six times in 2022 and five times in 2021. Notably, the opening of two floodgates in August 2020 led to significant flooding in low-lying areas of Zirakpur adjacent to the Sukhna Choe. The last time the floodgates were opened after a decade was on September 24, 2018.