Pune district collector orders self govt institutions to prepare flood mitigation plans

PUNE The district collectors’ office has issued directions to all local self-governing institutions to prepare a draft plan for mitigating flood inundation crisis by mapping all the flood-prone areas of the district

PUNE The district collectors’ office has issued directions to all local self-governing institutions to prepare a draft plan for mitigating flood inundation crisis by mapping all the flood-prone areas of the district.

The district collectors’ office has issued directions to all local self-governing institutions to prepare a draft plan for mitigating flood inundation crisis by mapping all the flood-prone areas of the district. (HT FILE PHOTO)

The district collector has also issued directions to conduct audits of old structures in the region. The directions come in the wake of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting sound rainfall during the forthcoming monsoon season.

According to the district collectorate, the directions were being issued in wake of flooding, landslides and house collapse incidents reported during monsoon which causes human, animal and property losses during the rainy season.

The directions for Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) include setting up a disaster management cell and appointment of a nodal officer. Also, the PMC administration has been directed to create awareness about the dangers of parking vehicles in the riverbed area during monsoon, when high volume of rain water is released from the dams, leading to vehicles getting washed away in strong currents of river floodwaters.

The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has also been directed to appoint a nodal officer and set up a disaster management cell at the earliest.

The detailed guidelines include cleaning of riverbed areas of trash, water hyacinth, cleaning and reconstruction of broken stormwater drains, cutting dangerous and large tree branches, survey of slums prone to flooding, survey of dangerous accident spots and spraying the area that is prone to spread of infectious diseases.

The PMC had come under sharp criticism for its inept handling of disaster management set up during the past few years which had led to large scale flooding of the city in the past.