Pune residents should have been alerted about water discharge from dam: Mohol

Union minister Murlidhar Mohol said information about the water discharge from Khadakwasla Dam should have been given in advance to people living in the low-lying areas

PUNE Union minister Murlidhar Mohol on Friday said information about the water discharge from Khadakwasla Dam should have been given in advance to people living in the low-lying Sinhgad Road area, which experienced flooding as rains wreaked havoc in Pune.

Union minister Murlidhar Mohol said information about the water discharge from Khadakwasla Dam should have been given in advance to people living in the low-lying areas. (HT)

Mohol visited the flood-affected areas and later took review meeting with administration at Circuit House.

Amid incessant showers in the catchment areas, the irrigation department discharged 35,000 cusecs of water from the Khadakwasla Dam, causing major flooding in Ekta Nagar, located adjacent to the Mutha River, in which the water was released.

Mohol, the former mayor of Pune, said, “If such a large quantity of water was to be released, citizens and the civic administration should have been alerted about it. This was the concerned department’s fault.” He claimed a “communication gap” in informing about the water discharge.

“If the catchment areas had a red alert and water in such large quantities was to be released, the civic body and police department should have been informed. Such a communication gap should be avoided in the future, and the concerned departments have been instructed,” Mohol said.