Stormwater work worth ₹75 crore to be fast-tracked

Pune's monsoon rains have highlighted poor stormwater management, prompting the PMC to expedite improvements with ₹75 crore from the central government.

Pune: Monsoon rains has once again exposed the poor state of city’s stormwater management system with several key roads flooded and waterlogged. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to carry out stormwater-related works on a fast-track basis, said officials.

PMC has decided to carry out stormwater-related works on fast-track basis, said officials. (HT)

Naval Kishore Ram, Pune municipal commissioner, said, “The civic body will receive ₹75 crore from the central government under the National Disaster Mitigation Authority (NDMA) fund. The money will be used to improve stormwater drainage in waterlogging-prone areas, especially on high-traffic roads and low-lying zones on priority.”

The heavy rains reported in the city on Friday caused waterlogging and flooding in 76 locations, including RTO Chowk, Nathan Road, Laxminagar, Kothrud Depot, JM Road and Deep Bungalow Chowk. The city has 230 chronic and vulnerable spots prone to waterlogging.

Since May, PMC has received over 200 complaints of waterlogging from areas like Kondhwa, Wanowrie, Bibwewadi, Dhanori, Lohegaon and Hadapsar.

Ram said, “Many parts of the city get submerged even in just two hours of rainfall. This is because the city has fallen behind in stormwater management.”

“Pune has a road network of about 2,400 kilometres, but only around 318 kilometres are covered with stormwater drains. Ideally, major roads that are 60 metres wide and above should have stormwater lines on both sides,” said Jagdish Khanore, head, PMC sewage department.

The civic chief said of personally planning the initiative independently and tour the city to see progress of rain-related works.