Patiala’s clogged drains spark flood fears as monsoon nears as monsoon nears

Mandeep Kaur (53) of Gopal Colony here is worried as she walks to her office every morning, looking at the wild growth and other waste blocking the natural flow of two crucial drains, Badi Nadi and Chhoti Nadi, ahead of the monsoons.

Almost 45 km away in Ghanaur, villagers are worried about the Ghaggar and the cleaning and inspection of its banks, with monsoon rains expected in two weeks.

Unperturbed by floods that severely affected parts of Patiala and surrounding areas in 2010 and then again in 2023, the state government departments are yet to complete the work of cleaning rivers and rivulets, causing panic among local residents and villagers. While officials have held many meetings and repeated directions passed by the authorities at the top, the work is pending.

The onset of monsoon season is causing jitters among residents of Choti Arai Majra, Gopal Colony, Chinar Bagh and Urban Estate in Patiala, who are taking extensive preventive measures to avoid a repeat of the previous year’s calamity. Even residents of flood-affected villages are on their toes as desilting and repair work close to the Ghaggar is pending.

“You can see for yourself how the Drainage Department and the Municipal Corporation have failed to ensure steps to clean the drains and the flowing water bodies. Encroachments continue to thrive and no one is bothered until the floods will come,” said Paramjit Singh, a resident in Urban Estate. “Last year, we moved our furniture and other valuable items to the rooftop, while many others have made an extra brick wall to stop flood water from entering their houses,” he added.

Usually, every year the Irrigation Department officials complete the work of clearing river beds of encroachments and wild plantation by June 30 and the final report is submitted to the Patiala Deputy Commissioner. However, the work this year has been slow, and in certain pockets, even tenders are yet to be allotted to contractors.

In this regard, Executive Engineer, Drainage, Pratham Gambhir, said Choti Nadi work had been started by the Drainage Department, and the upstream of Patiala Badi Nadi is also under progress by the department.

“Delay in allotting such work only breeds corruption and poor quality of work, which is washed away in case of floods,” said a former Irrigation Department official. In the 2010 and 2023 monsoons, damage caused by the floods in numerous villages in and around Patiala could have been partially prevented if the department had shown some timely caution.

Sources said the Irrigation Department was yet to carry out cleaning and lining work in any of the seasonal choes and the Ghaggar due to the paucity of funds. Wild growth can be seen in the tributaries and there are breaches in the river banks at many places in Rajpura, Ghanaur and Patiala.

Meanwhile, Executive Engineer, Municipal Corporation, JP Singh, said the MC Patiala, would carry out the cleaning work within the municipal limits, so “we have prepared an estimate amounting to Rs 15 lakh and floated tenders” for the same. “The cleaning work is likely to commence before July,” he said.

Patiala Deputy Commissioner Dr Preeti Yadav said she had directed the Drainage Department and Municipal Corporation officials “to work in coordination” to prevent any flood-like situation during the rainy season.

Punjab