E-Paper
Nullah overflows, housing societies face waterlogging on NIBM-Kausarbaug road
We have done the annual pre-monsoon cleaning work at all nullahs, but people throw garbage and plastic after these streams are cleaned, and this is what is causing a problem, says Santosh Tandale, head of the drainage department, PMC
One hour of pre-monsoon showers in the city on June 10 not only created traffic chaos but also shed light on the preparation of the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC’s) pre-monsoon works.
The rain showers created a deluge for many housing societies situated along the nullah on NIBM-Kausarbaug road.
Vijay Park, located in Kondhwa, along the NIBM-Kausarbaug road, experienced the onslaught of the rain when the society was waterlogged. “The city witnessed first pre-monsoon showers yesterday for just 15 minutes, and our housing society got waterlogged with a knee-deep deluge, this is all because dumping of garbage over the drain pipe resulting in the blockage of drain. PMC has done nothing to provide a proper drainage system. There used to be natural flow into the nullah, but unauthorised construction has blocked it all, and PMC doesn’t do anything to demolish these sheds,” said Naresh Kumar, a resident.
Gregory Pillai, part of the NIBM extension forum, said, “Nullahs have not been cleaned. And the issue is that even if it is cleaned, people dump garbage daily, as there is no end-to-end solution. Within housing societies garbage is collected, but what about other settlements. There are many societies which fear that water and garbage will flow in, you get cut off from the city when the nullah overflows.”
According to another resident, “Urgent action is required to remove garbage near the bridge at Ganga Satellite, or, during heavy rains water will flow above the bridge, causing problems for all the nearby societies. The PMC sent a team to clean the bridge, but the nullah needs to be cleaned for it is choked with garbage, plastic, and debris which will flow downstream and choke the bridge.”
Santosh Tandale, head of the drainage department, PMC, said, “We have done the annual pre-monsoon cleaning work at all nullahs, but people throw garbage and plastic after these streams are cleaned, and this is what is causing a problem. We have alerted our executive engineers to look into the matter and visit the localities to deal with the problem.”
