Ludhiana wakes up to 89.4 mm rain, chaos

Heavy rain lashed the city early on Tuesday morning, disrupting routine life and turning its large parts into waterlogged pockets. According to the Department of Climate Change and Agricultural Meteorology at the PAU, the city received 89.4 mm of rainfall, with temperature dipping to 26°C (maximum) and 25.2°C (minimum). The department has forecast cloudy conditions with moderate to heavy rainfall over Ludhiana and adjoining areas for the next 24 hours.

While the downpour provided a brief respite from muggy weather, it also brought misery. Waterlogging was reported from multiple low-lying areas, including underpasses on Lodhi Club Road and South City and near the pulley at Ganda Nullah, making commuting a challenge for office-goers and schoolchildren. Be it posh localities such as BRS Nagar, Sarabha Nagar, Model Town and Pakhowal Road or old city areas such as Dhoka Mohalla, Tajpur Road, Shivpuri, Moti Nagar and Dhandari Khurd, every area was waterlogged. Chandigarh Road, as always, was also submerged by water, giving a tough time to people entering and leaving the city through the road.

“My scooter got stuck near the South City underpass. I was not the only one, there were many others in cars and on two-wheelers who got stuck on the stretch,” said a commuter, Rajeev Kumar, who was going to office, while expressing frustration over poor monsoon preparedness.

Students among worst hit

School students were among the worst affected. With rain pouring during early morning hours, parents struggled to drop their children to schools safely. Many schools allowed vehicles to enter their premises. “I had to carry my child through ankle-deep water. If the situation continues, schools must declare a holiday during such days,” said Amandeep Kaur, mother of two kids from Model Town.

Meanwhile, residents voiced concerns over inadequate drainage infrastructure and lack of municipal response. “The situation remains the same every monsoon. We want to know what the authorities are doing. The issue isn’t new,” said Harbhajan Singh, a local shopkeeper located near Pakhowal Road.

Near Ganda Nullah, stagnant water along the pulley bridge made movement risky for two-wheelers. Pedestrians were seen tiptoeing along narrow dry patches while vehicles splashed through clogged intersections.

With skies expected to remain cloudy and showers continuing intermittently, Ludhiana is bracing for another day of waterlogged roads, crawling traffic and growing demands for better rain management.

Close shave as portion of building collapses

A potentially tragic incident was narrowly avoided on Tuesday in the Roopa Mistri Gali, where the front portion of an old residential building collapsed. Continuous rainfall since morning is believed to have weakened the already dilapidated structure, causing bricks to fall intermittently. Fortunately, passers-by managed to escape in time, preventing any injuries. The area is densely populated with narrow lanes and frequent foot traffic, raising concerns over the safety of similar aging buildings in the vicinity.