Rain fury: 2 lives lost in Ambala, Yamunanagar
In Ambala, 25-year-old Harmeet slipped into a seasonal drain near Dukheri village and drowned, while in Yamunanagar, farmer Satpal died after the Somb river’s embankments broke, and water suddenly entered his fields.
Heavy rain and rising river water levels since Saturday have resulted in a flood-like situation in Ambala and Yamunanagar, claiming two lives.
In Ambala, 25-year-old Harmeet slipped into a seasonal drain near Dukheri village and drowned, while in Yamunanagar, farmer Satpal died after the Somb river’s embankments broke, and water suddenly entered his fields.
Heavy rain lashed parts of the state on Saturday and Sunday, leading to waterlogging in Ambala, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat and other areas of the North Haryana region.
Ambala that faced its worst flood last year had to witness another flood-like situation that brought normal lives to standstill on Monday as well, hampering traffic movement and businesses particularly at the cloth market in City and Saha industrial area.
Haryana Minister of State for transport, Aseem Goel Naneola, who is also MLA from Ambala City, said a comprehensive plan is being formulated to provide a permanent solution to the waterlogging problem in his constituency.
Goel visited the waterlogged areas in Ambala and said that cities are typically designed to withstand 50 mm of rain in 24 hours, but in the past 22 to 24 hours, Ambala city received over 250 mm of rainfall, five times the usual amount.
“This has led to waterlogging in some areas. Although water has receded in some places, others remain waterlogged. Departmental teams are actively working in the field to ensure the quickest possible drainage of rainwater,” he said.
The MoS further said that after inspecting the areas, he spoke to the chief minister regarding the problem.
“In order to address this issue, the public health engineering department (PHED) will establish a stormwater disposal system near Dashmesh Market, Indrapuri, and Jaraut Road in Ambala. The tenders for this project are expected to open today and tomorrow, which will significantly aid in the drainage of rainwater from areas like Cloth Market, Nadi Mohalla, Jaraut Road, Indrapuri, and the surrounding regions,” he said.