Pune families on Alandi Road are facing severe hardship as overflowing sewage water from a drain flooded their homes after heavy rainfall, leaving nearly 200 households battling unsafe living conditions without basic amenities. The crisis has exposed glaring gaps in urban infrastructure and sanitation planning in one of the city’s most vulnerable settlements.
The incident occurred in Phule Nagar and Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar, two dense clusters along Alandi Road where most residents work as daily wage earners, street vendors, or sanitation workers. Despite being provided with basic amenities like electricity and roads by the municipal corporation, the settlements continue to be located dangerously close to a drainage channel carrying wastewater from a nearby hospital. Following days of heavy showers, the nala overflowed, sending dirty water into homes. Nearly 80 families were severely affected, with children and elderly residents displaced.
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Community organisations stepped in to provide temporary relief in the form of food packets and makeshift shelters. However, the problem remains structural. The overflowing drain not only raises health concerns but also highlights the recurring neglect of slum infrastructure in fast-expanding cities like Pune. Urban planning experts argue that the absence of sustainable drainage and sanitation networks has made vulnerable communities more prone to climate-related risks.
Civic officials who reached the site initiated a cleanliness drive, but residents expressed frustration at what they called the indifferent response of the authorities. For families already living without secure housing, the flooding has meant sleeping without electricity for several nights, walking long distances for toilets, and surviving in cramped shelters. Women and children, in particular, face disproportionate risks, with sanitation facilities located nearly three kilometres away.Experts point out that while Pune has invested heavily in smart city projects and large infrastructure, marginalised neighbourhoods remain excluded from resilient urban design. The crisis in Alandi Road exposes the need for climate-sensitive housing, proper sewage management, and equitable access to civic facilities. Without these, every monsoon becomes a cycle of displacement and suffering for vulnerable residents.
The flooding is not just a matter of poor drainage but a systemic issue of urban inequality. Families who contribute to the city’s workforce particularly in sanitation and informal sectors—ironically remain deprived of hygienic environments themselves. This contradiction underlines the urgent need for cities to adopt zero-carbon, eco-friendly, and inclusive development policies that prioritise human dignity alongside infrastructure growth.While immediate relief measures have begun, the larger question of accountability and long-term solutions remains unanswered. For now, residents of Alandi Road continue to wait for more than temporary clean-ups, hoping for a future where their homes no longer flood every monsoon.
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Pune Alandi Road flooded as sewage drain overflow worsens crisis
