India, May 26 -- A squall was all it took to leave the tricity high and dry last Wednesday. Several areas in Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali were without power for up to 24 hours after the storm. Traffic lights stopped working and police were nowhere in sight, leaving commuters to their own devices, causing jams at major intersections, including Tribune Chowk, in the peak evening hours. Uprooted trees and branches damaged vehicles and left three people injured, including a 15-year-old boy from Sector 38D headed for his father's funeral. The civic authorities took more than a day to clear hoarding debris and branches from the roads in Zirakpur. Stormwater drains overflowed in Mohali and Panchkula. The unpreparedness of the civic authorities for the monsoon was for all to see. The authorities must proactively carry out timebound maintenance of road gullies and fast-track cleaning the stormwater drains to prevent flooding besides repairing pot-holed stretches. The natural choes and nullahs cutting through the tricity should be desilted and cleared of vegetation on priority. Pumping machinery and equipment to tackle waterlogging must be in ready state, particularly in the periphery where residents bear the brunt of unplanned urbanisation in the catchment areas. A sector-wise survey of trees should be conducted in the tricity to identify the vulnerable ones and those in need of pruning. Citizen welfare associations must ensure residents resort to proper garbage disposal to avoid clogging of drains when it matters most. Rainwater harvesting should be promoted and government departments, commercial establishments, educational institutions and multi-storeyed residential colonies should lead the way. To prevent the outbreak of vector and water-borne diseases, fogging should be carried out regularly and clean drinking water supply must be ensured. With better coordination and focusing on vulnerable areas, the tricity can sail through the monsoon....