Panchkula: The first major rainfall of the monsoon season exposed the city’s frail civic infrastructure and the tall claims of city authorities.Panchkula MC had claimed to have cleaned all road gullies by June 25. The Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) and Panchkula Metropolitan Development Authority (PMDA), too, had claimed to have improved the stormwater drainage system and cleaned road gullies.When the rains came tumbling down Saturday night, several road gullies were found jammed, and at some places, broken. At places where the gullies were cleaned, the debris or garbage was left behind by the side. It flowed back into these stormwater carrying channels as rain lashed the city.Parks, roads, parking lots and markets witnessed major waterlogging. Low-lying areas like sectors 19 and 15 were badly hit with the underbridge there going under water, bringing traffic to a halt. Water also gushed into homes in Sector 19.Besides, the wall of a house adjoining Palm Cycas garden, along the Sector 15-16 dividing road, collapsed in the rain.Three other houses in Sector 15C, right opposite Palm Cycas garden, were flooded with 1.5ft-2ft water. “The trouble began when it started raining heavily around 4am. The blinding rain woke people from their slumber. They then rushed to save their goods and other household items,” Manoj, a resident of Sector 15, said.Kanwal Sapra of Sector 9 said, “We were up in the dead of night around 3.30am. We put up grills and other barricades at our entrance to prevent water from entering our home. However, water got inside our car that was parked outside. It all happened because the jammed gullies in our lane were left unattended.”SK Nayar, president, Citizens’ Welfare Association (Panchkula), said, “We have received numerous calls to approach the authorities concerned to form a central flood control room and teams of officials to tackle emergencies. The monsoon is already here and MC, HSVP, and PMDA have not formed any team to meet such eventualities. No flood control numbers have been shared either.”“MC/HSVP/PMDA could not even complete the cleaning works of road gullies/drain pipes in various parts of the city. Are all these agencies not interested in the safety and security of the public in Panchkula?” he asked.Table top speed breakers are also said to be causing waterlogging and obstructing natural water flow.“The table top speed breakers being constructed across the city are aggravating the waterlogging issue. There is no outlet for rainwater on any side. Most of the times, they obstruct the natural slope, leading to water accumulation. We may address the accumulated water by constructing a new road gully chamber near the table tops at an appropriate location. Alternatively, we could provide a drainage pipe through the affected speed breaker on the lower side to allow for water flow past the table tops,” Mohit Gupta, founder, Solution Box, said.
