Incessant rains have caused widespread devastation in Pune and its surrounding areas, killing at least four people and inundating several houses in low-lying areas of the city. The flooding forced authorities to evacuate affected residents from housing societies, officials said on Thursday.
According to data shared by the district administration, Lonavala received 300 mm of rain, Lavasa 417 mm and Junnar 214 mm in the 24 hours ending at 7:30 am.
Three youths were electrocuted near Bhide Bridge in Pune city on Wednesday night. The deceased have been identified as Abhishek Ajay Ghanekar, Akash Vinayak Mane and Shiva Parihar. The three, who ran an egg bhurji shop in the Deccan area, were electrocuted while they were closing their shop, officials said. In a separate incident, one person was killed and another injured in a landslide in Adharwadi village on Thursday morning. The deceased was identified as Shivaji Bhairat, a resident of Mulshi, while Jitendra Jambhurpane, a resident of Gondia, who is currently staying in Mulshi, was injured.
Three people from Dasve village, near Lavasa town, were trapped after a mudslide buried two villas. Local police and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have launched rescue operations.
“So far, four people have been reported dead, three due to electrocution and one due to landslide. Besides, three people are stranded in Lavasa town after a mudslide. Our teams are deployed and rescue operations are underway,” Pune district collector Suhas Diwase said.
Divas urged residents to stay indoors as heavy rains lashed Pune and surrounding areas. Due to the release of water from the Khadakvasla dam, following heavy rains in its catchment area, the Mutha river and surrounding low-lying areas have been flooded.
Throughout the morning, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is also the guardian minister of Pune district, kept a close watch on the flood situation. “There is a flood-like situation in many areas of Pune, mainly due to the release of water from the Mutha river after the Khadakvasla dam overflowed,” Pawar said. The Pune administration has advised private establishments to give leaves to their employees in view of the bad weather conditions.
In Pune city, heavy flooding was reported in areas such as Sinhagad Road, Bavdhan, Baner and Deccan Gymkhana. The fire brigade and personnel from the Pune Municipal Corporation’s disaster management cell were working to rescue stranded residents.
Following record rainfall and the release of a huge amount of water from the Khadakvasla dam, the water level of the Mutha river rose significantly, inundating residential societies along its banks, especially the low-lying areas of Sinhagad Road. By 11 am, the fire brigade evacuated over 400 people from various residential societies.
In response to the crisis, the Indian Army sent a rescue and relief team to Ekta Nagar. The contingent comprises infantry troops, an engineer task force and medical personnel, equipped with rescue boats and essential health services.
An Army statement said, “Additional Army troops are on standby, ready to be deployed at short notice if the situation evolves. Southern Command of the Indian Army is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the civil administration and other government agencies.”
The district administration has declared a holiday for schools in Pune city, Pimpri Chinchwad and western parts of the district. District collector Suhas Divase issued an order to close all primary and secondary schools in the affected areas.
“We have deployed fire brigade and disaster management cell personnel in low-lying areas. Residents have been advised to remain indoors unless absolutely necessary,” Diwase said.
