PUNE: Choked stormwater channels and drainage chambers turned city roads into shallow ponds within an hour of intense rainfall on Thursday afternoon, laying bare Pune Municipal Corporation’s glaring lack of preparedness.Activists and residents squarely blamed the waterlogging on construction debris and garbage dumped along roadsides, which were swept straight into stormwater and drainage lines, blocking the flow and worsening waterlogging across large parts of the city. The situation turned so dire that the PMC’s disaster management cell was inundated with over 180 waterlogging complaints.Activist Sandeep Khardekar from Karvenagar said incomplete drainage works were a major reason behind the chaos. “Drainage line works remain unfinished everywhere. The administration is simply failing to fast-track these projects,” he said.
Across the city, citizens found themselves trudging through knee-deep water, struggling to make their way home. Traffic slowed to a crawl at critical junctions like the CoEP flyover, JM Road and parts of old Mumbai-Pune road. The road leading towards Sangamwadi was completely submerged, while similar scenes unfolded in Bavdhan, Warje Malwadi, and along the service roads of Katraj-Dehu Road Bypass.Kushal Pradhan, who was on way to his workplace, said, “The autorickshaw driver, after driving for a while, said he won’t go further as it was risky. While on way back, his autorickshaw stopped at the start of the Lullanagar flyover. We got stuck for 20-25 minutes and got drenched,” he told TOI.Vivek Velankar of Sajag Nagrik Manch said the city had no coherent plan to deal with mounting construction waste. “In heavy downpours, all the debris dumped on roadsides inevitably flows into stormwater channels, which are meant only for rainwater. Pre-monsoon cleaning works must undergo third-party inspection, and responsibility must be fixed,” he said.PMC officials attributed the flash flooding to the high intensity of rainfall, saying response teams were deployed swiftly and that waterlogging at several locations was cleared within an hour after the rain stopped.Another activist, Viram Gaikwad, said the increasing frequency of intense rainfall spells demanded urgent planning. “PMC must assess whether its stormwater channels are even capable of handling such heavy rains and flash floods anymore,” he said.Residents echoed similar sentiments. Anil Kadam of Shivajinagar questioned PMC’s maintenance works. “Why are stormwater drains cleaned only ahead of the monsoon? This should be a year-round exercise. Many drainage chambers are packed with waste, silt and debris,” he said.Additional municipal commissioner Omprakash Divte said many areas recorded over 50mm of rainfall within an hour, leading to widespread waterlogging. “Pre-monsoon works are still in the initial stages. Cleaning has begun in some areas, and work in the remaining parts will start by next week. We will take corrective measures at all locations that experienced waterlogging,” he said.According to PMC, existing stormwater channels are designed to handle 50-60mm of rainfall, while newly merged areas are being planned with systems capable of managing rainfall up to 120mm. PMC commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said the administration was considering reducing concreting of smaller roads. “A new policy on road concreting is being drafted and will soon be communicated to ward offices overseeing such works,” he said.At Pune airport, flyers faced major issues getting cabs and pre-paid autorickshaws. Prakash Rajguru, an autorickshaw driver, said, “No autorickshaw was available at the airport as all are stuck in traffic in different places because of the rain.” Sources at AeroMall said cab movements were minimal because of the same reason.Cabs and autorickshaws were unavailable in different parts of the city too. Mansoor Shaikh, who had to go to Camp from Famitanagar, said he tried booking cabs and autorickshaws via all apps for 45 minutes in the evening, but none of them accepted rides. “The regular autorickshaws are not agreeing to go to far-off places,” he said.Falling tree kills vendor; surge in calls to fire brigadeA 60-year-old flower vendor, Ranjana Navnath Giri of Ganeshmala off Sinhagad Road, died after a tree collapsed on her around 3.30pm on Thursday. Giri had taken shelter beneath the tree sudden heavy rainfall lashed the city.
