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10 days after floods: War zone in the aftermath of nature’s monsoon attack on south Pune
All may not be lost, but thousands of Punekars are still fighting daily battle to regain lives
Sahakarnagar, Parvati, Katraj, Padmavati, and Sinhagad road - the areas in southern Pune that experienced flash floods on September 25-26 are struggling to clean away the physical dirt left over by overflowing canals and the daunting memory of loss of lives, belongings, vehicles and property.
A total of 26 people died in Pune district in the 24-hour period that saw very heavy rainfall cause canals and streams to break bank and overflow, flooding several residential and business areas. Lives of at least three lakh people had been all but washed away, according to an estimate by the Pune municipal corporation (PMC).
Eight days later, several affected areas still look like a war zone where nature attacked.
In Laxminagar, Sahakarnagar, labourers are still cleaning the road that runs next to the Ambil odha (stream). “Work on cleaning the road only began two days ago, after we finished clearing the sludge from the slum on the other side of the canal,” said Shaukat Sheikh, working on behalf of the local corporator for daily wages.
A site visit by HT revealed a stench still permeating the air, with a row of bungalows on one side of the canal having to bear it.
Further ahead, off the Swargate–Katraj road, Sangam Society, also a society of bungalows, has no road; mud covers the window sills of the sedate homes.
“The entire compound wall is gone and our cultural hall filled up with 10 inches of sludge. The bungalows had five feet of water,” said Avinash Lakde, administrator, Sangam Society, who is now overlooking the cleaning process.
The members want the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to rebuild the compound wall.
The Annabhau Sathe Sabhagruha, an auditorium that is present one block before Sangam Society, has not been opened for eight days. A bobcat moves slowly through a thick pile of mud and water in its parking area.
In terms of quantifying the worst affected, the 274 apartments of Gururaj Society could easily make a claim for “100 per cent loss”.
“All it took was incessant rain and rising water in the canal for more than hour and we lost everything,” said Rajendra Mankame, who lives in C-2, flat 1.
His wife,daughter and himself waded through deep water to make it to his brother’s house in Walvekarnagar, Swargate.
Every day for the past eight days he comes to his flat at 8 am with his wife, and cleans untill 9pm.
Work has taken a backseat for many residents, all trying to revive their lives and homes.
“We don’t even have any utensils to make food for the family. We are in debt to the many nearby societies and also Guru Kripa Seva Foundation who have been serving us breakfast, lunch and dinner every day,” said Vinita Kelkar, who is in the process of claiming insurance for her car that was washed away in the flash floods.
At the junction of Laketown Padmaja Park Phase 1, the roundabout is still caked with mud. Part of the road leading to the bridge has also caved in. “We don’t want any more rain. A total of 27 four-wheelers were swept away when the wall of our society boundary gave away,” said Bhagyashree Sheelvant, resident of Padmaja Park. .
