Pune's Kharadi Residents Slam PMC As Homes Flood Amid Monsoon Rains: ‘Living In Hell’

Residents of Kharadi are fuming with anger as rainwater has entered their homes. The incessant rains in Pune for the past two days have washed off Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) claims of completing the drainage cleaning work, and it reflects the shabby job done by the authorities in the name of pre-monsoon preparedness.

Their lack of preparedness was criticised by residents, as the ground floors of housing societies situated opposite Chokhi Dhani, near Dhole Patil College area, were submerged in water.

Akshay Poorey, Joint Secretary, Kharadi Residents Welfare, said, "The entire Kharadi area is in a pathetic condition. The rainwater has gushed into most of the houses. Various societies’ ground floors are completely submerged in water. The builders and contractors have fully concretised the area—there's no space for rainwater to seep. There’s no actual planning, and even the authorities have failed in handling the entire situation. Our daily routine is hampered and is causing a lot of inconvenience. Frequent power cuts, tree and hoarding felling incidents, traffic jams due to waterlogging, and accidents caused by potholes have made our lives a living hell. There’s a whole nexus—the authorities don’t listen and can’t even provide basic amenities. They just approve the NOCs to builders, who sell their properties, and the people suffer—even after paying taxes."

Yogita Amdade, a resident of Gulmohar Gold Coast in Rajaram Patil Nagar, added, "The rainwater has accumulated in the parking area, and this issue has been recurring for the past two to three years. The stagnant water becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes and poses health concerns for the people living in this area. It's not just physically challenging to wade our way to the office and work with water reaching knee level, but you also live in constant fear of getting an infection or diseases like dengue and chikungunya. The PMC garbage collection vehicle doesn’t come to our area, and the private garbage collectors don’t dispose of the garbage responsibly. They just dump it anywhere, and that gets into nullahs and drains, blocking them. People also throw garbage here and there, causing blockages, which leads to these waterlogging situations. The construction waste is also disposed of near the riverbed, and during the monsoons, with the flow of water, this gets into the nallahs, completely blocking them. PMC should take action against illegal garbage dumping and provide some permanent solutions to our sufferings."

Another resident, Prabha Karpe, highlighted, "There used to be a large pond, with birds all around, but now it has been reduced to a small nullah. The entire ecological area is now filled with concrete waste from both sides to grab the land. Constructions are taking place near the riverside, and politicians and the administration are doing nothing about it. There is a whole nexus going on. Due to the encroachment and filling up of natural water bodies like ponds, flooding is seen in nearby areas. We are fighting for natural water bodies in the Khandve Nagar area. We have filed complaints with the PMC and have also been following up with the police, but nothing concrete has been done in this regard. We need to save our environment—only then can these problems come to an end."

Meanwhile, Jagdish Khanore, head of the drainage department, PMC, said, "I have noted down the area and will ask the regional ward officer to inspect and solve the issue. The work of cleaning the drainage is still going on, and we are working swiftly to solve the waterlogging issues."

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