Unseasonal rain in Pune revealed the empty boasts of drain-cleaning in thirty words. Roads became ponds, traffic jammed, people battled anarchy, while the government’s readiness was watery and useless.
Anshu Kashid
Pune | May 22, 2025: Tuesday and Wednesday night’s rainfall exposed a much different reality on the ground, despite repeated promises by the Municipal Corporation that about 70% of drain and gutter cleaning was accomplished.
Strong winds and torrential rain forced drains to overflow in many places, resulting in extreme waterlogging. Big roads became rivers, creating enormous traffic congestion that kept people stranded in the downpour for hours.
Those looking for refuge from the heat discovered instead fallen trees, damaged walls, and water invading their houses. One deluge essentially rendered the city dead.
There were 46 complaints filed overall in the emergency room of the Municipal Corporation. About 750 staff members were sent right away for emergency purposes including tree clearance and flood drainage. Every regional office included a sanitary inspector, assistant, and engineer assigned with pumps and machinery to offer rapid help.
Already, pre-monsoon drain and gutter cleaning attracted a ₹26 crore tender. Officials say 65% of gutter work and 70% of drain job is completed. But the effectiveness of the whole operation is dubious if the same trash reappears with every rain.
Angry with the circumstances, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar group) members went on a distinctive protest on the streets. Party leader Gajendra More used a boat across flooded roads in Manjri as a symbolic protest against the ineptitude of PMC and PMRDA.
The downpour also revealed the sorry state of the dug-up roads. One such place became a sizable water-filled pit from Lal Bahadur Shastri Road to Mangir Baba Chowk. Waterlogged sections were frequent across the city, and municipal staff members were observed diligently clearing plastic and trash from clogged chambers.
Personal observation of the matter was viewed by additional Municipal Commissioners Prithviraj B.P. and Omprakash Divate.
The more important issue still is, though: if one night of rain can destroy the city this manner, what awaits Pune during the real monsoon?
This was a wake-up call for the city’s catastrophe readiness, revealing how far claims are from ground reality, not only a raindrop.
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