Community health centre, stadium and park at Badhedi and Kajhedi villages in Chandigarh. (Jasbir Malhi)
Surjit Tiwana, a local resident, remembers the time when he would enjoy jumping into his village pond at Kajheri. Today, after 30 years, he watches children playing cricket there at the same place as the water body has been converted into a “mini-stadium”. There were three such water bodies at Kajheri, all in approximately two-acre area.
All the three water bodies do not exist today. One has been converted into a park for localites, another has been encroached upon by people and there are around 30 houses there. The third water body is called a mini-stadium now and has a playground where children play games and even local tournaments.
When the heavens open up, the rainwater enters houses in this village; the green belt and the playground too get filled with water as there is no way for the water to clear out. “Earlier, the rainwater would easily flow down to these water bodies. Because of growing population, the local panchayat decided to convert these into park and mini-stadium. Otherwise, this would have been encroached by people. Although we tried to make these new sites on a raised platform, water gets accumulated,” said Tiwana, a member of panchayat.
Although the village has drain pipes to drain out water, those remain almost blocked leaving a flood-like situation. “We have to accept the present situation now. It is just that we have to have a proper storm water drainage system,” said Satpal, another villager.
A multipurpose complex comprising dispensary, cooperative bank branch stand tall in the middle of Badheri village, at a place where there was actually a local pond.
On a two-acre area, these buildings were inaugurated in January 1991. The then sarpanch, Ajaib Singh, had conveyed to the administration that the area be developed for local residents.
Son of Ajaib Singh, Rajender Singh Badheri said, “In fact, the pond was not being maintained well and it had become a breeding place for mosquitoes. As it was a rainwater-fed pool, it would also remain dry during summers. People had started throwing dirty water of their houses in the pool and some had even started encroaching on it.”
He added, “It was in 1987 when my father had conveyed to the administration that before people come up with their dwelling units here on the banks, we may develop a multipurpose complex here for the facility of all the villagers, and it was inaugurated in 1991.”
Badheri said that the existing buildings do get water clogged during rain as the flow of the water was towards this area.
The MC chief engineer said, “Usually, the water on village slopes heads towards these local ponds. And the construction now on this place is one of the reasons for waterlogging as water finds no way.”
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On August 20, pictures and videos of cars ‘floating’ on waterlogged roads due to heavy rain here in Chandigarh went viral. City life was paralyzed — cars broke down as the rainwater entered the vehicles, residents got stuck in the long bumper-to-bumper traffic and many of them even resorted to the task of clearing water which entered their houses.
Year after year, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation claims to be “well prepared” for the monsoons. But the preparedness gets exposed even after a 30-minute rain.
This year too, the civic body claimed to have cleaned all the 35,000 road gullies but later expressed helplessness stating that the drainage system is designed to handle only 25 mm rain per hour in sectors below 30 and 15 mm rain per hour in sectors above 30.
Badheri said that the existing buildings do get water clogged during rain as the flow of the water was towards this area.
“The only solution is to get drains cleaned. That means they shouldn’t remain blocked or to increase the capacity. Because of the design of our drainage system, it takes a little time for the rainwater to recede during a heavy downpour,” said Chief Engineer N P Sharma.
A senior official said that despite witnessing clogged roads every year, it was high time that the capacity of drainage pipes be made to such an extent that it can handle rainfall up to 50 mm. “It is not during monsoon that the officials must get the road gullies cleaned. They must get them cleaned regularly. Moreover they must use advanced technology in cleaning, like the suction pipes,” added the official stating that due to improper levelling of roads, the water stagnates.
MC pats its back
Even as Chandigarh witnessed a flood-like situation, the officers and councillors of the Municipal Corporation patted their back for good arrangements, in its recent House meeting. Mayor Asha Jaswal had stated that she lauded how councillors and officers, including MC Commissioner Baldeo Purushartha, was out in the city to manage the situation on their own. It was claimed that the roads were cleared of waterlogging within half an hour. Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla said that it was managed so well and the officials saved them from facing a situation like that in Mohali.
