Pune Rains: Metro Commuter's Video Captures Flooded Roads, Submerged Localities

Pune: As Pune reels under heavy and relentless rains, the city is grappling with severe flooding. Tourist spots like waterfalls and lakes are overwhelmed, while water has surged into numerous housing societies and homes in low-lying areas. The deluge has claimed the lives of at least four individuals in rain-related incidents on Thursday. Officials are now focusing on evacuating residents from the affected areas.

While the city remains under red-alert, schools and colleges in most parts of the district have declared a holiday in view of the heavy rainfall warning. Amid this devastating havoc, a metro rider has filmed the flood-stricken streets and submerged localities and shared the video on social media. The video was shared with the caption, “Pune flooding captured by a commuter from the Metro today.”

The video capturing the submerged city has gone viral, has been flooded with reactions from viewers. As the metro glides through the torrential downpour, it showed a city transformed into a vast expanse of water. With temples submerged, underpasses overflowing it seemed as if the metro was cruising along a river. The dramatic footage paints a poignant picture of the city's deluge.

Pune Under Water

On Thursday morning, three men died in Pune city while they were trying to move their handcart, submerged in water in Deccan area, to a safer place, while one person died in a landslide in Tamhini ghat section in Mulshi tehsil, officials said.

Several low-lying areas in the city got inundated due to the rainwater and the local authorities have launched operations to evacuate the stranded people. About 400 people were evacuated to safety following flooding in Sinhagad Road and some other areas along the riverbank in Pune city due to incessant rains, officials said. Two columns of the Army were deployed in Sinhagad Road area which was severely affected by flooding, they said. 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for the Pune district for another 48 hours, and as heavy rains are expected to continue later in the day in the catchment areas of Khadakwasla and other upstream dams, more water was likely to be released from Khadakwasla reservoir (increasing the water level in the Mutha river that flows through the city), the collector said.

Will airlift people if need arises: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took stock of the situation and said if the need arises, the rain-hit people will be airlifted in Pune, where incessant downpour has claimed four lives and inundated residential colonies and houses in low-lying areas. Shinde said he has spoken to the Pune district collector and civic body chiefs in the city and its neighbouring Pimpri Chinchwad, an industrial township.

He has also spoken to officials of the Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to seek their help in the evacuation.

"If the need arises, we have told them to airlift people. There is no need to worry," the chief minister said. He said he has directed the administration to stay on alert mode and make necessary arrangements and ensure there is no loss of life.