Patiala residents on edge as flood worry looms with monsoon arrival

Mohit Khanna

Patiala, July 5

The onset of monsoon season is causing jitters among the residents of Urban Estate in Patiala. With the water level in the Ghaggar River and the city’s two crucial drains Badi Nadi and Chhoti Nadi continuing to rise due to silt, the memories of last year’s devastating floods haunt their minds.

Residents are taking extensive preventive measures to avoid a repeat of the previous year’s calamity. Manjit Singh Narang, a retired bureaucrat living in Urban Estate, has built a three-foot-high wall in front of his house to prevent the water from entering his house. Similarly, other residents of the locality are moving their furniture to safer places.

On July 11 last year, floods wreaked havoc across Patiala district, causing significant loss to the property.

Amarjeet Singh Waraich, a resident of Urban Estate, recounted the heavy losses he had suffered due to last year’s floods. This time, not relying on government intervention, he has placed his valuable items on iron tables elevated three to four feet high to mitigate potential damage. Waraich noted that many of his neighbours are taking similar measures to safeguard their properties. He criticised the government for not taking any action over the past year to clean Chhoti and Badi Nadi.

In addition to Urban Estate, residents of colonies located near Chhoti and Badi Nadi are also bracing for potential floods. Puja Rani shared that last year their beds, chairs, clothes, and other items were damaged by water, prompting them to wrap their belongings in tarpaulins and place them on the roof this year. She lamented that the government did not offer any compensation for the loss suffered due to floods last year.

The rising water level in the Ghaggar is also a cause for concern for hundreds of villagers in Patiala district. Farmers fear their paddy fields might get flooded.