At least 64 tree-fall incidents were reported in Pune district between July 6 and July 10, 2022, said fire brigade officials.
A series of tree fall incidents were reported in which two cars were damaged. According to fire brigade officials, two cars parked on the road at Abhimanshree Society in Pashan when large trees were uprooted and fell on them. Teams from the Pashan fire station responded to the call and cleared the trees.
This year, an increase in rainfall and non-stop heavy rains saw many parts of the city struggling with heavy wind and swaying tree branches thus giving away and smashing away parked vehicles underneath. Most of these areas like Dhanori, Aundh, Bhavani peth, Hadapsar, Kothrud, Somawar peth, Pashan, Ghorpadi peth, and Dattawadi are also on the radar of the firemen for many years.
“The tree authority is supposed to prune and trim the branches of trees which seem to align or lean so that such mishaps do not take place. We only get the calls after the tree has fallen,” said acting fire chief Sunil Gilbile.
They also get many calls of dangerous tree branches hanging closer to electrical lines, or closer to roads and most of the time, the fire brigade can only point them out to the PMC’s garden department.
Ashok Ghorpade, PMC garden department chief, said, “Ever since the tree authority has been decentralised, I direct the callers to the respective ward offices. It is them who have to maintain the trees are well-trimmed before the monsoon.”
{{/usCountry}}Ashok Ghorpade, PMC garden department chief, said, “Ever since the tree authority has been decentralised, I direct the callers to the respective ward offices. It is them who have to maintain the trees are well-trimmed before the monsoon.”
{{/usCountry}}T Wable, a resident of Baner, said, “There is still some ongoing digging work for last two months, whereupon the trees near Amrapali building on the main road are leaning against the wall and might fall but due to this road work, this has become a cause for concern.”
Sandeep Khalate, incharge of ward 8 which includes Aundh, Baner Balewadi, where a maximum of these trees have fallen on vehicles and also caused traffic snarls, said, “We attend to the calls and only work on tree trimmings after the complaint has been raised. Some trees are uprooted due to the wind and force of the rains, those we only get to know only when the incident has happened.”
(With inputs from Prachi Bari)
Monsoon woes
Years/ Tree-fall incidents
2016 - 818
2017 - 1,201
2018 - 936
2019 -1,269
2020 -1,152
2021 - 695