Residents fear another flash flood on Satara Road

PUNE: Residents of Gururaj Society on Satara Road had to step out of their homes and stand on the road throughout Monday night after floodwater inundated the premises as well as apartments located on the ground floor around 1am on Tuesday.
The water level in the Ambil Odha rose drastically after the heavy downpour resulting in inundation of the residential complex.As water began to recede, the residents drained and cleaned the premises. Flash floods had led to severe damage at the residential society on September 25.
“Some buildings in our society are built on land that has developed surface depression over the years. The flood water that entered our society on Tuesday accumulated around these buildings. The water was around five to six feet deep,” said Tukaram Bhorde, a retired bank employee, who has been staying here for the last forty years.
“We were awake all through the night,” said another resident Shashikant Nivdekar, who lives in a flat on the ground floor. “The water started entering the premises around 2.30am. We stayed outside our homes between 1am and 7am. The water started receding after 7am,” he added.
The residents of Treasure Park Housing Society in Sahakarnagar also spent a sleepless night. “We were struggling to clear the silt brought in by the flood on September 25. There wasn’t as much floodwater this time but it has prolonged our struggle to get rid of the muck,” said resident Navneet Mandhani.
Avinash Sakpal, head of the Bibwewadi ward office of the Pune Municipal Corporation, said, “We have put up a temporary wall made of gravel and construction debris to prevent the nullah water from entering the society’s premises. As for building a concrete wall, a policy decision needs to be taken at a higher level.”