PUNE: The year would be remembered for rain-related tragedies in ‘Smart City’ Pune that claimed many lives. Natural calamities like flash floods and man-made calamities like the collapse of walls, led to many deaths.
Pune could have well avoided these incidents in 2019.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) experienced its worst test of monsoon preparedness this year. More than 40 people died in these incidents and crores of rupees worth property was damaged. The vulnerable side of urban development was exposed during the monsoon this year.
WALL COLLAPSES
In July, 15 people died after a stretch of 60-ft-wall of a residential complex collapsed near Talab Masjid in Kondhwa. The wall’s base was weakened due to continuous heavy rain, and it crushed the shanties and those living in it. The police filed complaints against the PMC officials and the real estate developers but a departmental inquiry gave a clean chit to the PMC officials. Consequently, the PMC conducted a survey of residential societies and issued notices to owners to rebuild dilapidated retaining walls. Close on the heels of this unfortunate incident, at least six construction workers, including two women, were killed and four more injured when the compound wall of the Sinhgad Group of Institutes in Ambegaon collapsed on the adjoining labourers’ tin hutments. Here too, the base was not strong enough to keep the wall intact during the spell of heavy rains that lasted for days.
FLASH FLOODS
Heavy rains wreaked havoc in the month of September -not a month when the city generally expects to be drowsed in downpour.
The city recorded 106 mm rainfall on September 25 night in the span of an hour. The incessant rain flooded the already narrow nalas and rivers, causing the wall of Ambil Odha (a canal) to collapse which flooded the slums, bungalows and posh housing societies. This incident resulted in the deaths of 21 people while five people went missing. Over 3,000 people were shifted to safe places. Though, all these incidents were natural calamities, encroachment and unplanned development was the main reason. The PMC administration admitted its fault, but was unable to save the victims. The administration then took action on encroachments and the government announced compensation to flood-affected persons. The question remains: when will this stop.
