Pune: Heavy and incessant rains have wreaked havoc in Maharashtra’s Pune, where at least four people died in rain-related incidents on Thursday, while people were being evacuated after several houses and residential societies in low-lying areas of the city were inundated, officials said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a ‘red alert’ for Pune district and asked people to take precautions. Schools and colleges in most parts of the district have declared a holiday in view of the heavy rain warning, they said. Pune city and other parts of the district, including Velha, Mulshi, Bhor taluka and the catchment areas of several dams, including Khadakvasla, have been receiving incessant rains since Wednesday night. Flooding and waterlogging persisted in low-lying areas in the city such as Sinhagad Road, Bavdhan, Baner and Deccan Gymkhana, officials said, and the fire department and disaster management cell of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) have launched efforts to rescue the stranded people. Pune District Collector Suhas Divase said water was released from the reservoir in view of heavy rains in the catchment area of the Khadakvasla dam.
“As it has been raining incessantly in the catchment areas of the Khadakvasla dam, more than 35,000 cusecs of water is being released and it will further increase to 45,000 cusecs. The release of water has led to waterlogging and flooding in many low-lying areas along the Mutha river,” he said. Four people died in rain-related incidents in Pune, officials said. District officials said three people were electrocuted while trying to move their cart that had submerged due to heavy rains in the city’s Deccan area, while a person was killed and another injured in a landslide in the Tahmini Ghat section of Mulshi tehsil. “One person was killed while another was injured after a landslide hit a small eatery in Tahmini Ghat in Mulshi tehsil,” Paud police station inspector Manoj Yadav said. He said the district administration and local police were engaged in clearing the debris from the road. He said the road would be opened for vehicular movement after it is cleared.
In another incident, three people were feared trapped in a bungalow following a landslide in Lavasa area, police said. Schools have been closed in Khed, Junnar, Ambegaon, Velha, Mulshi, Maval, Bhor, Haveli taluka and ghat (mountain pass) sections of Pimpri Chinchwad as well as Pune city area in view of heavy rains. He said, “As a precautionary measure, disaster management cells and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed in low-lying areas where there is a possibility of flooding and waterlogging.” Diwase appealed to people not to step out of their homes unless it is very important. He said the IMD has issued a red alert for Pune district for the next 24 hours. Meanwhile, a police official said 29 tourists stranded due to flooding in resorts and bungalows in Malavali area near Lonavala hill station in the district were evacuated on Wednesday evening. Deputy Chief Minister and Pune Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar took stock of the rain situation and directed district officials and civil administration to provide all possible help to the citizens.
