Pune Rain Highlights: The fire brigade and disaster management cell of the civic administration responded to multiple calls of waterlogging and flooding in various parts of the city on Wednesday night. In Kondhwa, local residents faced problems as traffic came to a standstill for more than five hours when rainwater gushed out of a nullah near Sinhagad College, flooding and submerging the road for a stretch of 2 km.
Also read: Pune: Water, power supply disrupted due to rain
On Tuesday, a landslide was reported at a spot near the New Katraj tunnel. While there were no reports of casualties, the traffic on Katraj Dehu Road bypass of Pune-Bangalore highway had to be stopped.
Heavy rains lashed Pune on Thursday, claiming 17 lives so far in various incidents of flooding and wall collapse even as authorities and NDRF personnel worked round the clock to evacuate 16,000 people from water-logged areas. Five persons have been reported missing. Click here to know more.
The Army also rescued as many as 300 people, including some stranded on rooftops of their houses and on trees, from Solapur road area, a defence spokesperson was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Maharashtra: Water-logging in Dandekar Pool area in Pune following heavy rainfall.
"Situation is fully under control and we are keeping a close watch," says Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Search is on for five missing persons.
A 10-month-old child and his other family members, who were stranded in a flooded area following heavy rains in Maharashtra's Pune district, were rescued by the fire brigade, an official said on Thursday.
A video purportedly showing the infant being rescued using a life ring (plastic tube) through gushing water went viral on social media.
Five members of a family, including the child, were stuck outside their house in Parvati area near Mitra Mandal chowk on Wednesday after heavy rains pounded the city, fire officer Maruti Devkule said. (PTI)
As flooding and wall collapse incidents, triggered by heavy rains, claimed at least 17 lives across Pune district, the NCP on Thursday alleged that Maharashtra's disaster management cell was in "deep slumber".
NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik also accused Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of being "imbued only with polls and nothing else", as he observed that the latter was in New Delhi to attend poll-related meetings of BJP leaders, PTI reported.
"The chief minister is so imbued with the BJP and polls that he sees nothing else...these people are not concerned about the crisis people are faced with. They are only worried about retaining power," Malik was quoted as saying by the news agency.
Pune City Police tweeted Thursday that as many as 12 persons, including 7 men and five women, have been killed in rain-related incidents. Search is on for two persons.
While these figures pertain to Pune city limits, five more deaths have been reported from Khed Shivapur area and two people are missing from Purandar area in the Pune rural jurisdiction.
IMD officials said that along with over Pune, a cloud cover has been seen over the rest of Madhya Maharashtra and Konkan region. These areas too are likely to record fairly widespread rainfall in the coming few hours of the day.
Two weather systems are at present prevailing over Maharashtra, besides a trough running between south-central Arabian Sea to Bihar, cutting across Maharashtra.
India Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune, has warned of moderate to heavy intensity rainfall in the coming hours of Thursday afternoon as intense rain-bearing clouds have been observed over Pune region.
"The afternoon satellite imagery has suggested that nearly 88 per cent area over Pune city is under severe cloud cover. This cloud cover is more than what was observed on Wednesday. It is most likely to lead to moderate rainfall starting in the afternoon of Thursday which can continue till late evening," Anupam Kashyapi, head, Weather department said.
Revenue minister Chandrakant Patil is monitoring and coordinating with the district administration to provide relief measures in Pune and Baramati. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said the situation in Pune and Baramati is "under control and we are closely monitoring the scenario and extending help."
Almost 15,000 people have been relocated from Baramati due to heavy rains in Pune and its adjoining areas. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he has held talks with NCP MLA Ajit Pawar, who represents the Baramati Assembly segment, for flood-relief efforts.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said Pune can expect a respite from the rain after September 27. One of the reasons the rain is back is because of the presence of a cyclonic circulation that had formed over Bay of Bengal, which has since moved onto land, an IMD official said.
Golu Kumar's brother, Dharmanath, was swept away in the flood in Somjee in Upper Kondhwa on Wednesday night. The body was found on Thursday at the nallah near Ganga satellite and Raheja Garden Society. Golu said last night, their house was washed away and both the brothers were trying to rescue family members when Dharmanath was swept away. "What will I tell my brother's children now," Golu said, as an ambulance took the body to Sassoon Hospital.
Raheja Garden in the city saw a flash-flood like situation. Kishen Rai, an art of living teacher who lives in the area, said: "It was like a river gushing down NIBM hill. Several cars were submerged.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has expressed grief over the rain-related deaths in Pune and assured all help from the government. "My deepest condolences to the families. We are providing all possible assistance needed. State disaster management officials and control room in continuous touch with Pune collector and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)," he said in a tweet. "2 NDRF teams are deployed in Pune & 2 in Baramati. One more NDRF team is on way to Baramati. State Government is also closely monitoring the dam discharge," he added.
Death toll in rain-related incidents in Pune has gone up to 13. According to PTI, as many as 10,500 people have been rescued. "Over 10,000 people from low-lying areas in Baramati were shifted to safer places after water was released from Nazare dam, built on the Karha river near Jejuri," Superintendent of Police Sandip Patil told PTI. Pune chief fire officer Prashant Ranpise said another 500 people, stranded in low-lying areas of the city, were rescued.
Due to very heavy rainfall at Saswad (140 mm in 2 hours), 85,000 cusecs of water has been discharged from Nazare dam. This is likely to flood Baramati city. Alerts have been sent to the district administration.
Pune District Collector has announced a holiday for all schools and colleges in Pune City as well as in Baramati, Bhor, Haveli and Purandar tehsils owing to heavy rainfall and the resultant flood situation.
The irrigation department has released 13,981 cusecs water from Khadakwasla dam in Mutha river after heavy downpour in the dam's catchment area. The dam is already filled to capacity.
Three members of a family, including a two-and-a-half-year-old child, were rescued from a mini-truck stuck in the rains in the city.
A total of 10 persons have been killed and four more reported missing in rain and flooding-related incidents in Pune. While five persons were killed in a wall collapse in Aranyeshwar, three were killed and two reported missing after flooding and damage to premises of a Durgah in Khed Shivapur area 20 kilometres from Pune city.
The Padmavati pumping station was also affected due to flooding, resulting in water supply getting discontinued in Bibewadi, Kondhwa and entire Satara road area.
The heavy downpour has led to disruption of power supply and drinking water supply in most parts of the city. Rainwater gushed into the civic water purification centre in Parvati, resulting in damage to the equipment. The civic body has said there will be no water supply in Navi Peth and Deccan area.
Pune city recorded 53.1mm of rain during the past 24 hours, till 8.30 am on Thursday. Most rain was received during post-midnight hours, causing water to get accumulated over lanes and roads.
A total of seven persons were killed in Pune, including five in a wall collapse in Aranyeshwar area of the city, as several low-lying areas were flooded following heavy rains from Wednesday night.