Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has once again failed to tackle the problems created by heavy rainfall that lashed the city on Wednesday. The entire infrastructure of the city collapsed making the citizens livid.
Absence of stormwater drains and rampant concretisation of internal roads as demanded by the corporators, made the entire city suffer. Citizens have been facing problems of waterlogging, tree falling and traffic congestion. Some citizens have also lost their lives.
City-based environmentalist Sarang Yadwadkar said, “The State government’s report mentioned increasing rainfall in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra, but failed to mention that channelising the rainwater through stormwater drains is also necessary. The civic body has neither increased the drain water system capacity nor built proper stormwater drains.
Otherside, the PMC has started rampant concretisation of internal roads or areas. It has completely impeded the water percolation. Therefore, waterlogging in the city has become common and the holding capacity of trees has gone down weakening their roots resulting in their falling in the city.”
“The civic body has also done concretisation of nalas. Because of this nalas’ cross-section gets minimised and carrying capacity decreases. Hence, water gushes out of the nalas.
Encroachments along nalas and in the nalas were also the major reason for flash flood and waterlogging,” he added.
While speaking to Sakal Times, one of the senior officials said, “We were against concretisation of internal roads. However, local corporators pressurised us and alloted money. So, we were left with no choice.”
City stormwater drain design for 56 mm rainfall
One of the senior officials of drainage department of the PMC said, “The city’s stormwater drainage network has been designed to carry the volume of 56 mm of rainwater while nala designing and channelisation has been done considering 73.70 mm of rainfall. To carry the volume of 99.1 mm of rainwater, the city needs 1,028 km of stormwater drains, 365 km of nalas and 662 culverts.”
Even civic officials admitted that even if the Pune Muncipal Corporation comes up with 100 per cent stormwater drainage network, it will not stop
flooding.
