Chandigarh, August 29 –Authorities opened two of the three floodgates at Sukhna Lake early Friday after the water level rose above the danger mark of 1,163 feet following continuous rainfall in the city and its catchment areas.
Officials said one gate was lifted at around 3:30 am and another at 4 am, each raised to a height of one foot to release excess water into the Ghaggar river through the Sukhna Choe. This marks the second time this monsoon season that two gates have been opened simultaneously. “We are monitoring the situation round the clock to ensure the discharge remains controlled,” an official from the UT Engineering Department said.
The department has stationed engineers and staff at the regulator end on a 24-hour basis, with CCTV cameras providing live surveillance of the water level. A dedicated control room has also been set up to coordinate with the administrations of Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula during floodgate operations. “The neighbouring district administrations are always alerted before any gate is lifted,” officials noted.
This year, the floodgates were opened earlier on August 6, 8, 15 and 17, and two gates were operated together on August 19. The practice of releasing excess water has become more frequent in recent years: floodgates were operated four times in 2023, six times in 2022, and five times in 2021.
Past instances have underscored the risks of sudden discharges. The opening of two gates in August 2020 led to flooding in low-lying areas of Zirakpur along the Sukhna Choe. In September 2018, the gates were opened after a gap of nearly a decade.
“The system is designed to safeguard both the lake and the surrounding areas, but heavy rains upstream leave little choice other than opening the gates,” a senior official mentioned, adding that precautionary measures remain in place to avoid repeat incidents of flooding.
