Monsoon Mayhem: City Streets Submerged as Civic Authorities Fail to Address Drainage Woes

Torrential rains deluged major roads and residential streets, severely disrupting normal life in the region. While the adverse weather conditions did not affect air and rail traffic in the tricity, the situation on the roadways was vastly different, with areas submerged for extended periods. This resulted in vehicle breakdowns, stranded motorists, and dashed weekend plans for residents. Efforts were made by the traffic police to inform road users about waterlogged areas and the flow of traffic through their social media channels.
Various localities, including Hallomajra, Manimajra, Burail, Dhanas, Daria, and other villages, experienced flooding that persisted for as long as 12 hours. Disgruntled residents expressed their frustration, claiming that the civic authorities neglected the development of the city’s outskirts, leading to an annual repetition of the same monsoon woes.

Municipal Corporation (MC) officials attributed the problem to the city’s stormwater drainage system, which lacks sufficient capacity to cope with heavy rainfall. The drainage system was designed to handle a maximum of 15 mm of rain per hour in the northern sectors and 20 mm per hour in the southern regions. When precipitation exceeds these thresholds, it takes around 30 minutes for the water to recede. Consequently, parks, underpasses, markets, and even hospital premises were submerged, exacerbating chaos on the roads.

Disturbing images and videos depicting commuters wading through knee-deep water inundated social media platforms, raising serious concerns about the effectiveness of the city’s drainage infrastructure. Tragically, in the past 24 hours, five individuals have lost their lives in rain-related incidents across Himachal Pradesh, with three casualties reported in Shimla, one in Chamba, and one in Kullu.