Families evacuated after heavy rain

Though the city recorded just 34.2 mm rainfall till 5.30 pm on Monday,the catchment areas recorded above 50 mm rain. The irrigation department released 40,000 cusecs from Khadakwasla dam and 13,390 cusecs were released from Pavana dam till 5.30 pm. At Bund Garden,the release crossed the danger level of 1.18 lakh cusecs. “The release that according to the flood control cell was 1.26 lakh cusecs saw the irrigation department talk to the civic officials to issue a red alert,” said superintending engineer (Pune irrigation circle) Avinash Surve. He added that both the civic administrations_PMC and PCMC have been alerted well in advance to evacuate the low lying areas.

The civic administrations evacuated families from the low lying areas. A total of 100 families from Sinhagad Road and Deccan were shifted to a safer place after water gushed into residential area. The water level in the Mutha river increased slowly after the irrigation department released water from Khadakwasla dam which started at the rate of 15,000 cusecs and was later 40,000 cusecs by evening. “We are in constant touch with the irrigation department and are prepared to tackle any flood-like situation. An alert has been sounded in the residential areas and 100 families from housing societies on the river side on Sinhagad Road and slums in Deccan area have been shifted to civic schools after water gushed in the locality,” said Ganesh Sonune,disaster management officer of PMC.

“The PMC has a list of all the localities that might get affected due to heavy discharge of water in the river and the civic machinery is constantly on watch,” Sonune said,adding that the civic fire department,security department and city police department have been asked to be on alert. The PMC also took help of the radio stations and local television channel to alert the citizens,he said.

In Pimpri-Chinchwad,250 families were shifted to schools after heavy rains of 131 mm recorded in the catchment areas of the Pavana dam. Additional commissioner PCMC Prakash Kadam said they have shifted the families to schools and marriage halls and they would be shifting out more families if there is a need,he told Newsline. He said that they had already issued high alert but even after requesting the families to shift out,they refused. Finally the staff had to forcefully shift out the people as the water kept rising. “We shifted out families mainly from Pimpri areas — Sanjeev Gandhi Nagar,Aath Nagar,Boudh Nagar,Ambedkar Nagar to nearby schools.