One hour of rain floods Mohali Phase-11: Homes submerged, cars damaged
The office of former senior deputy mayor Rishabh Jain too was inundated, with furniture and official records destroyed
3 min read
Residents of phase 11 block the Chandigarh Airport road during their protest on Friday morning (Express/Jasbir Malhi)Just an hour of rain was enough to throw life out of gear in Mohali’s Phase-11, MIG and LIG Block no 1300 to block no 1400 where streets turned into virtual rivers and homes were left waterlogged. Between 1.25 am and 2 am, heavy downpour led to one to two feet of water inside houses and up to 4 feet on the main roads. Even by 10 am, water remained stagnated on several stretches, leaving behind thick layers of silt and mud as it finally receded from homes.
Residents spent the morning dragging out soaked mattresses, furniture, clothes and damaged electronic appliances. Car bonnets and doors were flung open as owners struggled to dry engines and interiors.
Veena Rani, a resident, said: “The Suchet app alarm woke me up around 2 am. Within minutes, water started gushing inside despite the three-foot-high boundary I had built. If my elevated house was flooded, one can only imagine the plight of lower houses.”
Varinder Singh Cheema, a local resident, said: “When I stepped off my bed after a call from my upstairs neighbour, my feet landed in water. It was the first time my house ever got flooded. The situation was terrifying.”
By morning, angry residents blocked the busy Chandigarh-Airport Road, demanding accountability for recurring floods. They lifted the blockade only after police and Municipal Commissioner Parminder Pal assured action.
Pargat Singh Chhina, another resident, said: “Every year, we suffer losses worth lakhs. Fridges, washing machines, drinking water supply — everything is destroyed. We even place furniture on bricks to avoid damage, but nothing helps.”
The office of former senior deputy mayor Rishabh Jain too was inundated, with furniture and official records destroyed.
Municipal pumps failed to function as power supply snapped during the storm. Fire brigade teams and tractor-mounted motors were later pressed into service to flush out water.
Area councillor Jasbir Singh Manku, who joined relief work, said: “I was out with the fire brigade from 3 am to 9 am, but the water flow from Phase-10 was so heavy that all efforts proved futile.”
When contacted about the situation in Phase-11, Municipal Commissioner Parminder Pal Singh Sandhu said that the flooding was the result of an unexpected spell of heavy rain.
“I met the residents sitting on the dharna and was deeply moved to see their belongings destroyed. Their pain is genuine,” he said.
Sandhu added that after residents raised the issue with him, he immediately deployed teams from the water supply department and the super suction, along with special municipal machines, between 9 am and 11 am. “Work has started on a war footing to clear the mud and sludge left on the roads and streets so that during the next spell of rain, water can drain out smoothly,” the commissioner assured.
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