Due to heavy rains in Chandigarh and surrounding areas from the last 3 days, the water level in Sukhna Lake has risen above the danger mark. A visit to the Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh shows the water just a few steps down. It seems nothing less than a flooding situation. Taking a note of the unstoppable rain and the watermark, the Chandigarh administration took the step to open the floodgates that are at the other side of the lake towards the regulator end (Garden of Silence).
Sukhna Lake has a capacity to hold over 1100 feet water and the danger mark is 1163 feet. As of Monday, the 24th of September, the water level in Chandigarh Sukhna Lake was at 1163 feet which is a red alert. It was further raining and hence a quick decision to open the floodgates was taken by the administration.
Flood Gates Opened at Sukhna Lake Chandigarh
As per reports, 2 out of 3 floodgates were opened for the excess water to flow out. The water will flow through the Sukhna Choe which passes through the industrial area of Chandigarh and finally reaches the river Ghaggar. Within a day, the water level came a few feet down from the danger mark but the continuous rainfall is still posing a threat.
Boating was also not allowed due to heavy rain and excess water and Chandigarh Police personnel on duty were given special instructions to refrain people from going down the stairs at Sukhna Lake. To bring the situation under control, Chandigarh administration had informed the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana about the opening of floodgates of Sukhna Lake.
To understand the water level in Sukhna Lake Chandigarh let us calculate 1163 feet into meters. It comes out to be 354 meters. This much amount of water combined with continued rainfall can cause devastation in the northern sectors of Chandigarh and flood almost the entire city. It may further be noted that in just the last 2 days, over 112.4 mm of rain has been recorded in Chandigarh.
Earlier, it was in the year 2008 that the floodgates of Sukhna Lake Chandigarh had to be opened due to the water level reaching the danger mark. It is after a decade that the Sukhna dam gates have been opened.
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