Pune: A recent bout of heavy rain has brought to light the inadequacies in the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) road maintenance and drainage management, particularly in the Wadgaonsheri and Yerawada areas. The intense downpour on Sunday evening left many roads severely compromised, revealing flaws in recent repair efforts and highlighting the persistent issues with the city’s infrastructure.
In Wadgaonsheri, residents were dismayed to find that potholes, which had been filled just a week prior, were already washed away by the rain. This has led to significant complaints about the quality of the PMC’s repair work. Commuters faced severe difficulties navigating stretches of road now pocked with deep craters, with some reporting minor accidents due to the poor condition of the roads.
The situation in Yerawada was equally dire. Stormwater drains around Gunjan Chowk were clogged, causing water levels on the roads to rise rapidly. The flooding was so severe that many motorists were forced to abandon their vehicles. “On Monday, we had to clear chamber cover holes ourselves to manage the water flow,” said a concerned resident from Kalyaninagar. “Clearly, PMC’s efforts have been insufficient.” Further criticism came from residents of Lane 10 in Kalyaninagar, where loose gravel used to fill potholes had quickly eroded. “The PMC’s quick-fix solutions were ineffective,” one resident noted. “North Avenue Road, Central Avenue, and other main roads are in terrible condition. The recent rains have only exacerbated the damage.”
The heavy rain has revealed a troubling trend: intense downpours have been frequent in the area each season, yet the PMC appears ill-prepared for such events. “I’ve lived here for 30 years, and this year’s downpours have been unprecedented,” said another long-time resident. “PMC’s response has been inadequate.” In Wadgaonsheri, near St Arnold’s School, heavy flooding led to residents taking to the streets to assist stranded motorists, while in Yerawada, water levels reached waist-deep, halting traffic flow. The extensive flooding has highlighted the urgent need for more robust infrastructure and better maintenance practices to handle such extreme weather conditions.
