'Govt Should Pay Attention': Ambala Battles Severe Waterlogging As IMD Warns of More Heavy Rain Till July 13

Morning rainfall caused waterlogging in several parts of Ambala on Friday, disrupting normal life and affecting schools and markets, even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast widespread rainfall and heavy showers across Haryana over the coming days.

Rainwater accumulated in several low-lying areas, including the city's Kapda Market (cloth market), causing inconvenience to residents and traders. Water also entered the premises of Government High School No. 7 in the market area, prompting authorities to deploy pumps to drain out the accumulated water and restore normalcy.

Speaking to ANI, Mamata Gupta, in-charge of Government High School No. 7, said the continuous rainfall since Thursday night had affected both the market and the functioning of the school.

"I work as an in-charge at Government High School No. 7, Kapda Market. It has been raining heavily since last night, which is affecting the Kapda Market and the entire city. This is affecting our school as well because there isn't enough water in the Kapda Market. This is affecting the number of students as well, but we are teaching the students who are coming to the classes. We are teaching them," she said.

Residents also expressed concern over the recurring problem of waterlogging during the monsoon and urged the authorities to improve drainage infrastructure.

"The government should pay special attention to this issue. In the rainy season, there is a lot of disturbance in Ambala. There are a lot of problems... The government should pay special attention to this... The BJP government has been here for a long time. But no one is paying attention to this issue. We are not doing any work to mitigate the waterlogging issue. The biggest work in Ambala is waterlogging," a resident told ANI.

The resident also said that the problem was not solely the government's responsibility and called on the public to play its part.

"It is the government's fault as well. They didn't plan this properly. It is our fault as well. We throw plastic in the sewage. We should support the government in this," the resident added.

Meanwhile, the IMD has forecast widespread rainfall across large parts of North India over the next few days, with heavy to extremely heavy rainfall likely in several states. The weather office has also issued warnings for thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds.

According to the IMD's daily weather bulletin, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall is likely over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh over the coming days. Heavy rainfall has been forecast over Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi from July 10 to 13.

The IMD has also predicted heavy rainfall over West Uttar Pradesh on July 10 and 11, East Uttar Pradesh from July 10 to 13, Punjab on July 11 and 12, Jammu and Kashmir on July 11 and 12, and Uttarakhand from July 10 to 15. Uttarakhand is expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall, with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places on July 10.

The weather office said the current spell of rainfall is being driven by an active monsoon system and advised people to remain weather-aware, avoid unnecessary travel to flood-prone areas during periods of intense rainfall, and follow official weather updates and advisories.

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