21 culverts to be repaired on Ambil Odha, another stream

Pune: Around 21 culverts on the Ambil Odha, damaged during two consecutive monsoons, and a stream along the Sinhagad Road would be strengthened and repaired at an estimated cost of Rs40 crore.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has started the tendering process for repairing the culverts used by residents of the nearby areas. The repair works are expected to get over within two years.About 10 culverts are on the Ambil Odha and another 11 are on the water stream in the Sinhagad Road-Hingne area.
The culverts along Ambil Odha have been identified in the section starting from Gujarwadi up to Mitramandal Chowk. The location of the culverts in the Hingne area begin from the Sinhagad Road and stretch up to Dandekar bridge.
The civic administration identified the culverts based on the survey of a private firm after flooding and water accumulation in Pune’s southern areas. Many culverts were washed away, while the road surface was heavily damaged, necessitating their repair and strengthening.
According to the residents of the nearby areas, the existing culverts are not strong enough to cater to the increased traffic.
Sanjay Gholap, who often travels on Satara Road, said, “Many small bridges are located in Mitra Mandal, Aranyeshwar, Padmavati and Lake Town on the nullah. Repairs of all these bridges are overdue to prevent accidents.”
An official from the civic administration said, “There is a plan to construct ‘Box’ culverts at all the locations. Some culverts require major repairs and strengthening. A plan has been drafted. Separate tenders are being floated for the culverts along the Ambil Odha and the stream along Sinhagad Road-Hingne area. The works are expected to get over in 18 to 24 months.”
The Ambil Odha had witnessed heavy flooding in September 2019 following downpour in the Katraj ghat area. In 2020 also, same locations along the Ambil Odha and the Sinhagad Road area experienced flooding though the damage caused was less than the previous year.