Two persons were killed and as many injured in separate incidents as intense spells of rains pummeled the city starting late on Monday night, causing heavy flooding, waterlogging and crippling traffic jams in various parts of Pune.
The district administration shifted over 118 families comprising over 520 people to safer places from high-risk areas as a precautionary measure. Complete or partial damage to around 85 houses was reported across the district in the rains that continued till Tuesday morning, officials said.
Remains of the flood water flown over the bridge on Bairoba nullah near Ganga Satellite society in Wanawadi after Monday’s rains. (Express photograph by by Arul Horizon)
Following a Yellow Alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for Pune district for October 17 and 18, intense spells of heavy rains were reported across the district. According to the district administration, highest amount of rain was reported from Pune City, Daund and Purandar taluka followed by Ambegaon, Baramati and Shirur areas.
Heavy rains started lashing Pune city and surrounding area at 9.30pm on Monday. Officials from the fire brigade control room said they started receiving calls about flooding from around 10 pm. Between 10 pm on Monday and 10 am on Tuesday, fire brigade teams responded to 42 incidents of flooding, waterlogging, and water gushing into houses. These incidents were reported from Sukhsagarnagar, Kondhwa Khurd, Rasta Peth, BT Kawade Road, Hadapsar, Mangalwar Peth, Shivajinagar, Kasba Peth, Kumbharwada, Narayan Peth, Aundh, Parvati, Mitramandal Chowk, Nagar Road, Maharshi Nagar, Bibvewadi, Navi Peth, Market Yard and Bhavani Peth area. Flooding and waterlogging incidents were also reported from Pimpri-Chinchwad and surrounding areas.
Five members of a family who were trapped in their house in Mangalwar Peth area due to flooding were rescued by the fire brigade. Seven persons who were trapped due to flooding in the Kondhwa Khurd area were rescued by a team from the Kondhwa fire station. Two incidents of compound wall collapse were reported from Parvati and Dhanori areas and 12 incidents of falling of large trees were reported from Hadapsar, Chandannagar and Pashan Road, Mangaldas Road, Market Yard and Vishrantwadi areas. In the tree-collapse incident, one person who was riding a bike was injured, a fire brigade official said.
Traders trying to save their commodities after the water entered the Subway at Pune Railway station in the heavy rains on Monday night. (Express photo by Arul Horizon)
As per information given by officials from Jejuri police station, Ajit Venkat Shinde (42), a resident of Pandeshwar village, around 65 kilometers from Pune city in Purandar taluka, died after he was washed away while crossing a bridge on a heavily flooded stream in the village late on Monday night. Shinde’s body was found later.
In another incident, Dhananjay Ashok Shirawale (24) was killed after being washed away in Neera River near Bhor town. At Borkadwadi in Indapur, Omkar Hake (18) was washed away in the gushing flow of a stream. He was rescued by local villagers later in an injured state.
After the heavy rains the city witnessed a heavy traffic. (Express photograph by Arul Horizon)
Heavy rains combined with resultant waterlogging on the roads and malfunctioning traffic signals caused crippling traffic jams across the city especially on Monday night and also during peak traffic hours on Tuesday morning. Flooding and damage to roads and bridges led to closure of traffic on several roads across the district including five in Purandar and five more in Indapur and Baramati.
District administration said that as many as 118 families from low-lying areas near water bodies were shifted to safer locations as a precautionary measure as water levels in their residential areas had started rising. Damage to a protective wall of a reservoir led to flooding in Ghule in Shirur, completely destroying a few houses in the vicinity. Deaths of 19 cattle and goats were reported across the district and, in an incident of lightning strike in Bhor, around 40 chickens were killed.
District administration said that the police, disaster management teams, homeguard teams and fire brigade have been put on alert in the district.
