Over 4,200 shifted as heavy rain floods low-lying areas in Pimpri Chinchwad

Pune: Heavy rain triggered flood-like conditions in several parts of Pimpri Chinchwad on Monday, prompting the civic administration to evacuate more than 4,200 people from low-lying areas to relief centres set up in municipal schools.Civic officials said the shelters have been equipped with food, medical assistance and other basic amenities.The Mula, Pavana and Indrayani rivers that flow through the city swelled following heavy rain in the ghat sections and across the city over the past two days.As a precaution, residents living along the riverbanks were shifted to safer locations to prevent any loss of life or property.Pimpri Chinchwad municipal commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi reviewed the flood situation and directed officials to issue warnings through public address systems in vulnerable areas and ensure the timely evacuation of residents from flood-prone localities.Floodwaters entered several houses across the city, forcing many families to evacuate even before civic teams reached them. At least six houses in Adarshnagar and Milindnagar in Pimpri were inundated on Monday afternoon.Shahrukh Pathan, a resident of Milindnagar, told TOI that water began entering the locality and homes in the afternoon. “Before the water could damage our belongings, we shifted our valuables to a safer place,” he said.

Swapnil Kamble, a resident of Adarshnagar, said the water level rose rapidly. “The water reached chest level. We had to move to a safer place to save ourselves and our belongings,” he said.Incessant rain also inundated low-lying areas along the Pavana and Mula riverbanks in Dapodi, prompting authorities to shift residents to nearby municipal schools.Youths from Gulabnagar helped residents evacuate and ensured that no one was left behind.Among those rescued was Sanjay Gaikwad, who was unable to leave his house because of illness. “We helped Sanjay Gaikwad and his wife shift to another house,” Sonu Bankar, a resident of Gulabnagar, told TOI.Floodwater also entered the house of scrap dealer Majid Shaikh. “We had no option but to lock our house and move to a safer place. Most women from the locality have already taken shelter in the municipal school,” Shaikh said.Sales executive Samir Joshi spent the day with other local youths checking houses in low-lying areas and helping residents move to safety.“Most houses are now locked, but we are patrolling the area to prevent theft,” Joshi said.Residents of Punawale and Tathawade also faced difficulties as underpasses connecting these areas to other parts of Pimpri Chinchwad were submerged and closed to vehicular traffic. In addition, service roads and stretches of the Mumbai–Bengaluru highway near Wakad on NH-48 were waterlogged, disrupting traffic.