Rain brings respite from heat in Karnal, but triggers waterlogging, traffic chaos

A spell of rain accompanied by thunderstorm not only brought much-needed respite to the people from the heat on Friday morning, but also caused inconvenience to residents as several parts of the city witnessed waterlogging, traffic disruptions and damage to property.

The early morning rain, though welcomed by those battling heat, caught many off-guard. The rain, which began 5 am, led to widespread waterlogging in several areas due to choked stormwater pipelines and caused traffic chaos during peak commuting hours. School-going students, teachers and office-goers bore the brunt.

Several trees were uprooted due to the thunderstorm, forcing diversions on a few major roads. Municipal and HSVP workers were seen clearing debris to restore normalcy.

“In some areas there was an issue. Soon after the rain, the employees were pressed into service to drain off water. After some time, the situation was normal,” said Monika Sharma, XEN, KMC.

Additionally, service lanes of NH-44 were waterlogged due to poor drainage. The drains along NH-44 were also choked, leading to waterlogging and causing difficulties for the commuters, particularly the two-wheeler riders.

In another incident, tinsheds of a couple of roadside shops near Mahatma Gandhi Chowk collapsed due to the gusty winds. Thankfully, no casualties were reported. The shopowners said the thunderstorm caused structural damage. “These shops belong to the Karnal Municipal Corporation and were constructed several years ago. The tinsheds were also constructed long back, and the storm brought them down,” said a shopkeeper.

Despite the adverse impact in urban areas, the rain did not cause significant damage to the produce in the grain markets across the district. As much as 94 per cent of the procured wheat has already been lifted from the grain markets, said the data.

As per the records, the district has so far recorded an arrival of 80,86,414 quintals of wheat, surpassing last year’s total arrival of 80,39,616 quintals. Of the total arrival, 75,91,634 quintals have been lifted. The authorities from the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board have also sought a report on the soaking of wheat in the grain markets. However, till the filing of the report, no damage was reported. In a couple of grain markets, some gunny bags packed with wheat got soaked in the open.

The officials confirmed that no major crop loss had occurred in the grain markets so far. “Fortunately, the majority of the wheat produce has been lifted, which has minimised losses,” said an official.

Haryana Tribune