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April rain batters Pune: Unseasonal downpour turns ‘roads into rivers’, leaves cars submerged
Pune experienced its highest April rainfall ever. The downpour caused disruptions all across the region.
Unseasonal heavy rain and gusty winds caused gridlock across Pune, leading to fatal tree falls, flooded streets, and traffic snarls. The April rain prompted a wave of viral videos on social media, where residents captured the scale of the waterlogging and the intensity of the thunderstorms that caught the city off guard.
“Situation I find myself in after rain,” a Reddit user wrote, adding, “Roads just outside of my college got flooded after the rain.” They concluded the post with a video of a waterlogged road.
Also Read: Unseasonal rain, thunderstorm disrupt power supply across Pune
“One hour of relentless rain wreaks havoc in Pune. Roads turn into rivers, tree branches collapse, and normal life disrupted across the city. Traffic hits hard as conditions worsen,” an X user wrote while sharing a video of submerged cars and autos.
Social media reacts to Pune rain:
Several residents took to social media after the downpour bettered the city. An individual commuting by train amid the rainfall wrote, "Hope the charging point at Pune platform no 4/5 will be fixed, due to rainwater stagnant in the metal holder, it can be risky, I was about to keep my mobile there.” Another added, “Pune is flooded after just one hour of rainfall. Crazy”
A third commented, “Never seen such rain in Pune before.” A fourth expressed, “Crazy rain today. Never seen such dark, intense April rain in Pune.”
Highest single-day rain:
Reportedly, the downpour surpassed the previous record of the city’s highest-ever single-day April downpour. The last time it happened was in 1896.
Fatal tree fall:
The downpour caused trees to collapse across the city. One such incident on Sinhagad road killed a woman and injured two.
Also Read: Woman killed as record April rain batters Pune
The fallen trees also disrupted the city's power supply. Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) reportedly said that the rain caused tripping of multiple extra-high-voltage (EHV) and high-voltage lines.
According to the public relations officer (PRO) of MSEDCL, Vikas Puri, feeder boxes in some areas were affected after being submerged by unseasonal rainfall, resulting in outages. In addition, lightning strikes damaged electrical systems in certain areas.
Pune AQI update:
Data from the Central Pollution Control Board's Sameer app shows the AQI in Pune is “Satisfactory” and stands at 80. The health impact advisory on the app says, “The air quality is satisfactory with minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people.”
