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HT monsoon audit: Pune’s rain readiness better than last year
With the arrival of monsoon less than a week away, the road digging work has missed the deadline by over a fortnight, and where work has been done, it is of inferior quality
Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) assertion that it is prepared to cope with possible heavy rainfall unlike the last year’s waterlogging and monsoon-related mishaps seems to be unconvincing during a visit to ground zero.
Hindustan Times conducted monsoon audit with residents and citizen activists and found that while the overall preparation has been better than previous year, some nullahs were not cleaned properly and work was carried out haphazardly.
With the arrival of monsoon less than a week away, the road digging work has missed the deadline by over a fortnight, and where work has been done, it is of inferior quality.
Residents said that the rain preparedness works carried out by PMC is better than last year, but the civic body is not fully prepared to handle possible heavy rains.
Pramod Devkar, resident of Ramwadi on Ahmednagar Road, said, “The civic administration’s claim of having cleaned all nullahs it is not true. The drain passing through Ramwadi area is still filled with dirt. During heavy rainfall, water overflows into nearby areas, posing a significant danger. The nullah is located just a stone’s throw from the Ahmednagar Road-Vadgaonsheri ward office.”
PMC officials on Wednesday said that it has completed pre-monsoon works mainly pertaining to nullah cleaning, yet residents continued to register complaints demanding clearing of nullahs and stormwater drains from filth in their areas. The civic body has reported receiving public complaints on its helpline regarding choked drains and unclean nullahs.
Shridhar Galande, resident of Ramnagar in Wadgaonsheri area, said that the nullah near Ramnagar is not completely clean and the low-lying area faces waterlogging issues every monsoon.
Danish Khan of Mohammadwadi expressed concern over the uncleared drainage chamber near Imperial Society. Khan questioned the municipal corporation’s claim of having completed the work before the onset of monsoon.
In its helpline, PMC has urged citizens to share locations and photos of poorly maintained nallahs and stormwater drains in their areas. The numbers are dedicated to disaster management and pre-monsoon work. The civic body received more than 20 complaints daily until June 10, but the count has reduced to five or six.
Civic activist Vivek Velankar said, “I have not observed any significant work of pre-monsoon preparations. Every year, PMC claims to have completed the necessary work, but it is often washed away during the first spell of monsoon. It remains to be seen what measures the civic administration has implemented on ground for the upcoming monsoon season.”
Shridhar Yeolekar, executive engineer, PMC drainage department, stated that the pre-monsoon works in the city is nearly complete.
“Of the 360 kilometre of nullahs, 98 critical spots prone to waterlogging have been thoroughly cleaned. The stormwater lines have been cleared of dust and debris, and 382 culverts have been cleaned. However, cleaning nullahs, chambers, and stormwater drains is an ongoing task. Dust tends to accumulate over time, necessitating periodic cleaning. Additionally, garbage disposal remains a problem, particularly in slum areas located near nullahs or along their path,” Yeolekar said.
The civic official said that despite PMC’s efforts to clean nullahs in Janwadi, Bhavani Peth, Idhate Vasti (Baner), and Vadgaon, people continue to dump garbage in these areas. Consequently, the task of cleaning these places has to be undertaken again.
To address pre-monsoon-related complaints, PMC has formed a WhatsApp group. Pune municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar shared the contact numbers of two officials for residents to register complaints via WhatsApp.
Once a complaint is registered, it is forwarded to the respective junior engineer and deputy engineer of that area, who are expected to resolve the issue within 24 hours and share pictures of the resolution in the online group. Immediate action is taken for short-term problems, while long-term measures are planned for issues that require more time to address.
