Re-living the monsoon as a nightmare waiting to become a dark reality… again

Residents of Katraj, where the Ambil Odha originates, and the worst-affected area along with Sahakarnagar, said no work has been carried out by civic body in the area

Several local residents that HT reached out in the worst-affected areas of the 2019 flash floods are worried and fearful.

Ambil Odha (stream) at Sahakarnagar turns sharply in spots, which residents believe, affects flow of water, especially in full flow. (Pratham Gokhale/HT Photo)

For residents of Tangewala colony in Sahakarnagar, where the flash floods claimed seven lives, the monsoon is now a nightmare they are being forced to re-live.

“Last year, when rain created havoc, almost every house in the colony was damaged. We slowly repaired and rebuilt our houses. Despite no Covid case in our colony, neither the PMC nor the state government officials have built a retaining wall. We are on our own,” said Sanjay Shinde, a resident of Tangewala colony.

“The sharp curves on the canal caused damage in last year’s Ambil Odha tragedy. When water flows in force, it flows straight, can’t take turns. These unnatural turns on the canal are very dangerous. The PMC should look into it”, said Nitin Kadam, resident and NCP president of Parvati constituency.

Residents of Katraj, where the Ambil Odha originates, and the worst-affected area along with Sahakarnagar, said no work has been carried out by civic body in the area.

Bairobha nallah resident Sangeeta Ghorpade said, “Our lives were destroyed by the flash floods last year, and this year too, the rains are likely to impact our area. We request the authorities to carry out proper cleaning of the nallah and construct the protective wall without fail.”