Taking stock of water logging at some places caused in the aftermath of torrential rain during a high level meeting with the senior officers of the Department, Punjab Local Government Minister Brahm Mohindra on Friday issued instructions to pump out the water from the cities immediately and restore the supply of potable drinking water to the residents. 

Mohindra said that Punjab has been severely hit by torrential rains in the last few days with the result that some of the places have been inundated. “Some of the cities of the State have saucer shape topography which resulted in flooding due to excessive rainfall as it is not possible to drain off the rain water by natural gravity,” he pointed.

The Minister said that before the rainy season, he had instructed the officers of the Local Government Department and all urban local bodies (ULBs) in the State to clear the sewerage system by the use of Super Sucker Machine or Jetting Machine, clean all the manholes and road galleys.

“I had also instructed the ULBs to ensure that potable supply of water to the residents is maintained which has to be duly chlorinated as per CPHEEO (Central Public Health Engineering Organization) norms so that there is no health hazards due to water borne disease,” he said.

Mohindra said that meanwhile, the Department is keeping a close watch on the ground situation in different cities, and accordingly, the field staff is being guided regularly.

He said that Bathinda has been affected badly as it received 178 mm rainfall in the morning of July 16 which created flood like situation in the city. “Due to heavy rain, a breach occurred in sullage carrier carrying the sewerage water necessitating shut down of the pumping station, which could only be started after 10 hours,” he said.

The Minister and the senior officers of the Local Government Department monitored the situation, and all the accumulated water was drained out on July 18, and the situation is under control.

“A high powered technical team has been constituted by the Chief Minister consisting of Technical Advisor to Government of Punjab, senior officers of Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board (PWSSB), Drainage and Public Health Departments,” said the Minister adding that the team would visit Bathinda immediately and submit the report to suggest further remedial measures after detailed site assessment.