By: Express News Service Chandigarh | Updated: August 7, 2025 02:41 IST 2 min readThe UT engineering department has stationed staff around the clock at the lake’s regulator point to keep a close watch on the situation.For the first time in two years, the Chandigarh Administration Wednesday opened one of the three floodgates of Sukhna Lake after the water level rose to the danger mark of 1,163 feet, following heavy rainfall in the catchment area.The gate was opened around 11 am to release excess water into the Sukhna Choe, preventing overflow and potential flooding. Significantly, a trial run was conducted on June 28 to test the floodgates’ operational readiness.As per UT officials, the gate was lifted up to a height of six inches and would be closed once the water level drops to a safer level of 1,162 feet.The UT engineering department has stationed staff around the clock at the lake’s regulator point to keep a close watch on the situation.An official said that CCTV cameras have been installed for real-time monitoring, and a dedicated control room has been set up to ensure smooth coordination with the district administrations of Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula during such operations. Also, neighbouring districts have been alerted before the gate was opened.In previous years, the floodgates were opened four times in 2023, six times in 2022, and five times in 2021. However, memories of August 2020 still linger when the opening of two floodgates led to severe flooding in low-lying areas of Zirakpur situated along the Sukhna Choe. Before that, the gates were opened on September 24, 2018, after a decade-long gap. Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:chandigarh