Floodgates of the Sukhna Lake were opened on Monday when the water level reached just few notches above the danger mark, that is 1162.5 feet. The danger mark of the Sukhna Lake is 1163 feet. The floodgates had to be opened last year as well. However, officials on Monday said that the gates were opened only as a precautionary measure and they were closed in one hour of the opening. "The floodgates were opened around 11.30 am on Monday after its water level reached 1163.60 feet. However, they were closed after one hour," said a senior official of the engineering wing of Chandigarh Administration. The level of the lake had been increasing because of incessant rain in the city. The gates were closed at 12.40 pm. On Sunday, the water level at the lake had reached 1,162.3 feet while in the last week of July, it was just 1156 feet. It was in August last year that the water level had reached danger mark and at 3 am officials of the engineering wing had to open the floodgates of the Sukhna Lake in a rush as water crossed the danger mark of 1,163 feet. The gates were last opened in 2018 and before that in 2008, On both the occasions, the water had crossed the danger mark. The officials had immediately alerted the areas adjoining the Sukhna choe like Kishangarh when the gates were opened.
