Heavy rain causes waterlogging, Ludhiana residents suffer
Manav Mander
Ludhiana, July 4
With the city receiving 49.2 mm of rainfall on Wednesday night, many stretches in Ludhiana have reported waterlogging resulting in traffic snarl-ups.
Though the rain brought down the mercury and made the weather pleasant, motorists had a tough time negotiating waterlogged roads.
The worst-hit areas included Civil Lines, BRS Nagar, Sarabha Nagar, Ferozepur Road, Salem Tabri, Jalandhar bypass, Dugri Road and Chandigarh Road among other areas of the city. Commuters faced inconvenience on waterlogged roads while some vehicles passing through waterlogged roads also developed snags and got stuck in the middle of the road.
Moderate to heavy rainfall is likely to occur in most places on Friday.
“I was passing through the newly opened underpass at Pakhowal Road and it was filled with water. It is not the only case but other underpasses like on Lodhi Club Road, South City Road and BRS Nagar, all get filled with water. Why all such details are not taken care of by the architects while planning,” asks Shweta, a city resident.
Tall claims were made by the Municipal Corporation on rain preparedness, but nothing has been done to resolve the waterlogging problem in many parts of the city. The departments concerned even failed to ensure good quality road works, said Balbir Singh, a resident of Haibowal.
Another resident further added that the city might have developed leaps and bounds and many projects have come up here but when it comes to providing basic facilities like water drainage during the rainy season, it fails to provide them same and the development of the city seem to be of no good.
Keep water-borne diseases at bay
Dr Jasbir Sigh Bedi, Director, Centre for One Health, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, said water-borne disease can be bacterial, viral and parasitic, many of which are gastro-intestinal pathogens. Many water-borne diseases such as giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, hepatitis A & e viral infections, leptospirosis, typhoid and cholera can occur due to drinking of contaminated water, especially in the rainy season. Infection commonly results when this contaminated water is used for drinking purposes or consumption of cross contaminated food with poor quality water. Experts from the Centre for One Health, GADVASU, have advised the public to be aware of the water-borne diseases that normally increase during the rainy season.
Preventive measures
People should take preventive measures like ensuring that water does not get accumulated in and around their houses. Periodic maintenance and disinfection of the household water storage tank is necessary to maintain water quality.
The experts from veterinary university have recommended that the water tank may be disinfected at least twice a year and water should be periodically tested for the presence of microbes and other contaminants.
There should be proper maintenance of filters; as the filters may act as a potential source of microbial contamination of water, if not cleaned from time to time.
