Admin inspects Badi Nadi: Residents urged not to panic, trust only official information

Amidst allegations of sluggish pace of de-weeding Badi Nadi, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Urban Development) Navreet Kaur Sekhon today visited the water body to review ongoing cleaning operations and assess the water level during the current spell of rains.

She said the water level in Badi Nadi was currently low. She said, “The rainwater is flowing smoothly without obstruction, and there is no danger of a sudden rise in its level.”

She appealed to residents not to pay heed to rumours and rely only on official information issued by the district administration, which was maintaining 24x7 vigil on all rivers and drains in the district.

The ADC further stated that while the water level of Badi Nadi generally increases due to rainfall in its catchment area, at present there was no situation that warrants panic. She said weeds were being removed from the river on a war footing, with machinery and labour continuously engaged in the work. Teams from the Drainage Department and the Patiala Municipal Corporation were working in close coordination, and necessary instructions had been issued to ensure that the natural flow of water remains uninterrupted, she said.

Navreet Kaur also informed that, as a precautionary measure, the temporary diversion created for the construction of a new bridge on Badi Nadi near Daulatpur village had been closed for the coming days. She assured that the district administration was issuing timely alerts and updates for the public awareness.

For any emergency or to share information, residents may contact the district control room at 0175-2350550 or 0175-2358550, she added.

According to officials of the Irrigation Department hydrological regime of Patiala was influenced by the lateral runoff conveyed from Mohali sector via the Fatehgarh Sahib sub-catchment.

As per the latest telemetry, the gauge at Fatehgarh is presently in a quasi-steady state, indicating no abnormal hydrograph surge. The current rainfall intensity over the Patiala Nadi catchment is sub-threshold and has not generated a peak hydrograph that could translate into a flood wave downstream.

The Badi Nadi gauge in Patiala registers 2.4 feet, which corresponds to a discharge of approximately 997 cusecs, whereas the codified danger mark is 12 feet with a design flood capacity of nearly 10,000 cusecs. This reflects an operational buffer of more than 75 per cent in terms of freeboard and over 90 per cent in discharge margin. Flow continuity through the urban storm drainage and the natural nullah section remains hydraulically stable, with no backwater effect observed at present.

“On the basis of current hydrodynamic parameters, no exigency for evacuation or removal of belongings is technically warranted. The system is operating well within permissible flow capacity, and the probability of an imminent threshold breach is statistically insignificant under the prevailing rainfall conditions,” said Hydrological Department officials.

Nabha drowns as suction motors not working

In Nabha, sewer water entered houses and shops. It has been learnt that the main suction motor is not working due to which water disposal has been hampered.

Interestingly, councillors had recently objected to the poor cleaning of nullahs and drains of the city and blamed the contractor for shoddy work. Councillor Gursewak Singh, Harpreet Singh and Rozy Nagpal flagged the poor cleaning and said the clogged drain at Jatta Wala Baas, near Civil Hospital, created havoc and dirty sewer water entered houses of the people.