Experts Warn Of Flooding in Pune Amid Prolonged Severe Weather
Rs 200 cr special funds allocated for flood management in Pune city(representational image)
By: Pune Pulse
September 27, 2023
Pune: Weather experts have claimed that Pune will face an extreme flood-like situation in the coming time if the extreme weather conditions & heavy rains continue to pour down.
Speaking to Pune Pulse, Shailaja Deshpande, Founder, Jeevitnadi, Pune said, “The shape of Pune city is like a saucer. The bottom source of any type of water body is the river as water from any stream, nala etc. eventually enters a river. If projects like Riverfront Development etc., where, because of the walls built near rivers that block the channels of water to flow out, continue, then levels of river water will increase. As a result, the increased water levels will not have a medium to flow out and will enter the city flooding the entire city.”
She further added, “Hence, proper urban planning must be there. Weather changes or shifts have been prevalent since old times. Whenever there are changes in nature, there will be weather changes as well. However, to tackle it, planning must be made accordingly. Several natural resources in the city like Vetal Hill are getting destroyed due to projects like Balbharati-Paud Phata Link Road etc. Unfortunate natural disasters are happening just like the one we saw in Nagpur recently. Hence, proper, efficient and timely urban planning must be done without damaging nature to successfully avoid any unfortunate weather incidents.”
As per further information, the flood was an isolated incident, there is a high likelihood of recurrence. Just the following year, Pune’s weather stations recorded more than 75 mm of rainfall in a short period. Such short and intense spells of rainfall can overwhelm the drainage networks of cities. Drainage networks were initially designed for rainfall of only 12-20mm.
Due to heavy rains pouring on September 26 (Tuesday) in Pune city, the IMD Pune has predicted that rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning will occur, with a moderate to intense intensity. The anticipated impacts of this weather event included localized flooding of roads, water logging in low-lying areas, and closure of underpasses, particularly in urban areas.
