E-Paper
‘Clogged drains, Metro work led to waterlogging at Deccan, JM, FC roads’
Commuters on Friday battled heavily waterlogged roads, and as the area was inundated, traffic movement was hit at Deccan, Fergusson College Road (FC), Jungli Maharaj Road (JM) and Apte Road due to heavy rains
Commuters on Friday battled heavily waterlogged roads, and as the area was inundated, traffic movement was hit at Deccan, Fergusson College Road (FC), Jungli Maharaj Road (JM) and Apte Road due to heavy rains.
Officials said the clogged stormwater drainage system in the area and ongoing Metro work caused waterlogging which resulted in traffic congestion.
VJ Kulkarni, head of PMC road department, said, “Most of the stormwater lines got clogged with garbage and plastics and due to ongoing Metro work near Deccan, the stormwater line width has been reduced leading to waterlogging.”
”Pulachi Wadi is low line area so water got flooded here and there was no scope for water from the Deccan area and others to make a way out so the roads were waterlogged and traffic congestion was reported,” he said.
“The PMC staff cleaned the manholes on priority,” he added.
The officers from the road department said that there is no connection between waterlogging and smart roads. While planning for smart roads, the aspect of stormwater was considered and pipelines were laid accordingly.
Ganesh Sonune, head disaster management department of PMC, said, “Due to climate change and rapid development, many cities are facing waterlogging and flood problems. The Central government has selected seven cities in the country which are facing urban flooding and one of them is Pune.”
“We are working to make the roads better and safe for commuters,” he said.
According to a recent survey of PMC, the number of waterlogging spots in the city have increased from 80 last year to as many as 138 this year. These 138 spots were seen across the 15 ward offices of the PMC and are spread across various locations.
