Morning rainstorm snaps trees, hits power supply in Chandigarh tricity

Chandigarh/Mohali, May 7

Rain accompanied by strong winds lashed the UT and its adjoining areas, snapping trees and affecting power supply this morning.

In Chandigarh, a dry tree fell onto the terrace of a Sector 30 residence, prompting MC officials and area councillor Taruna Mehta to rush to the spot. The councillor said dead and dried-up trees should be identified and removed at the earliest to prevent any untoward incident.

Flight diverted

Bad weather briefly affected services at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport. A morning flight from Mumbai to Chandigarh scheduled to arrive at 7.45 am was diverted to Delhi, where it landed around 8.30 am.

Further, a large tree fell in a parking lot at Sector 21. However, no one was injured in the incident. Area residents called up the horticulture wing of the MC and workers later cut and removed its branches.

A tree branch also fell in Sector 25. A part of the damaged tree blocked the cycle track, affecting the movement of commuters. There was no report of major damage or loss.

Officials said they received several calls of falling of tree branches and teams were sent to the spots. It took them several hours to clear the damaged branches. Power supply was affected in some areas of the city as 6.8 mm of morning rain took residents by surprise. It was accompanied by lightning and strong winds.

There is, however, no forecast of rain for the next five days. The city on Sunday recorded a maximum temperature of 34.9 °C, three degrees below normal. The minimum temperature stood at 17.7 °C, which was 7 degrees below normal. The temperatures are expected to rise over the next few days.

In Mohali, too, rainstorm damaged trees and snapped electricity lines in several parts, leaving residents powerless for hours.

During the one-hour rainstorm, several tree trunks snapped and branches fell onto roads, inside parks and open spaces of Phases 2, 4, 5 and 7.

In Phase 2, a gulmohar tree split vertically into half and fell on a car parked outside a house and damaged the overhead power cables. Several trees and branches were broken along the main road in Phase 2, while a tree fell onto the main road near PCL chowk in Phase 5. Residents said the rainstorm caused a four-hour power outage in many parts of the city. “Power supply was snapped and it was restored around 10 am on Sunday. At many places, tree branches fell onto roads,” said Sudershan Ahluwalia, a Phase 9 resident.

Residents said tall trees, some going up to 40 feet high, posed a serious threat to life and property and required to be pruned before the upcoming monsoon season.

“No major damage was done this time, but the MC and GMADA should prune tall trees. With dense population and construction all around, it is risky to have very large trees around in the absence of proper upkeep,” said a resident.

In the Dera Bassi tehsil complex, a big branch of an old neem tree fell on the chamber of a lawyer, damaging the tin roof. The tree would be pruned on Monday, said officials.