E-Paper
Monsoon preparedness: ‘Killer’ nallah at mercy of rains again
Between PCB and PMC, no action has been taken on the Bairobha nallah bridge. Walls have to be built for which, 9 months after 2 persons died in the flash floods of 2019, only an NOC has been issued
The Bairobha nallah bridge, a main thoroughfare between Pune Cantonment and Wanowrie is bereft of any protective wall on either side of its banks.
Between September 25 and September 26, 2019, the city received in excess of 200mm of rain. In a deluge of nallah water overflowing the banks, the need for a protective wall was never felt more urgently.
The overflowing nallah flooded a Wanworie causeway between Ganga Satellite society and Raheja Gardens.
Two persons, both in cars, were swept away by what was a flash flood, at the time.
Software engineer Saleem Shaikh, in his car; and Victor Sangle, also in his car, were both victims.
Shaikh’s body was recovered 90-km away from Pune, a few days later.
Sangle (26), who survived an amputation of a leg and lived with a prosthetic, was driving from Vimannagar to visit his cousin house in Wanowrie. His car was swept away by the flash floods. Sangle’s body has not been recovered.
The College of Engineering Pune (COEP), in the aftermath of the flash floods, submitted a structural audit that recommended protective walls of up to 50 metres in height, both upstream and downstream at the Bairobha nallah bridge, as a necessary safety precaution against a future flood situation.
The Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) issued the no-objection certificate (NOC) for the walls, which the Pune municipal corporation (PMC) was tasked with constructing, as part of its overall monsoon preparedness in the light of the 2019 floods.
The walls have not been built.
The Bairobha nallah runs a total length of 26km - starting from Yeolewadi till Koregaon Park, where the water body merges with the Mula-Mutha river.
Suresh Jagtap, PMC’s deputy commissioner (Zone IV), said, “We are currently dealing with the Covid crisis and even a site inspection has not been done. The executive engineer is looking into the case.”
PMC’s executive engineer Pravin Gedam did not respond to phone calls and text messages.
Amit Kumar, CEO, PCB, said, “We had given our NOC to the PMC and it had committed to finishing the work, which, however, has not been completed. There is a risk to the lives of the people and the board is constantly assessing the situation unfolding at the spot.”
Vinod Mathurawala, a former PCB vice-president, said, “The NOC has been given, but work has not progressed. We request the PMC to finish the work at the earliest.”
“The bridge safety work needs to be completed by the PMC at the earliest as we are already in the monsoon season. These works should have been completed before the monsoon. We need a flood alarm system, adequate street lights and strong protective walls to protect the lives of the commuters and area residents,” said Kiran Mantri, an elected member of the PCB.
Local residents said if the bridge is not repaired, most parts in Wanowrie, where the bridge is situated, will witness a repeat of last year.
Wanowrie resident Manjett Singh Virdi said, “Commuters are still afraid of using the bridge. Senior citizens avoid using the bridge till date as the fear of death lurks at the spot.”
