Pune Paralyzed After City-Wide Downpour; Traffic Snarls, Waterlogging Raise Serious Civic Questions
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 20th May 2025: A relentless downpour brought Pune to a grinding halt on Tuesday, flooding roads, choking traffic, and exposing severe shortcomings in the city’s monsoon preparedness. For the first time this season, heavy rain lashed all parts of the city, not just isolated pockets, overwhelming the drainage system and triggering a civic emergency. Tree falls were reported at 30 places till 10 pm.
By evening, the city resembled a water park gone wrong — with cars wading through knee-deep water, two-wheelers breaking down, and pedestrians struggling to navigate submerged roads. The worst hit was Sinhagad Road, where traffic was backed up for nearly two kilometers on the flyover and another kilometer below it. Thousands of commuters were stranded in gridlock, many stuck for nearly two hours in the evening chaos.
What began as afternoon cloud cover quickly turned into torrential rain by late evening, battering localities such as Bavdhan, Kothrud, Warje, Dhayari, Katraj, Mohammadwadi, Hadapsar, Mundhwa, and Lohgaon. As the rain intensified again around 8:15 pm, major arteries like Tilak Road, Kelkar Road, Shivaji Road, Swargate, Katraj-Kondhwa Road, and Solapur Road were completely inundated.
Drain Cleaning Claims Drowned in Rainwater
Despite the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) spending crores of rupees on pre-monsoon drain cleaning, the rainwater had nowhere to go. Garbage left uncleared from drainage chambers during earlier showers choked the outlets. In several low-lying areas, collapsed chambers caused water to pool dangerously, turning roads into rivers and intersections into swamps.
Local residents and commuters voiced frustration, questioning how such massive civic expenditure yielded so little visible impact. “Every year, they promise better drain cleaning. But one heavy shower, and the city is submerged again,” they said.
Civic Inspection Turns Crisis Response
Ironically, the civic administration had only hours earlier conducted an inspection of monsoon preparedness in areas like Kothrud, Baner, Aundh, and Shivajinagar. Additional Commissioner Prithviraj B.P., Disaster Management Assistant Commissioner Ganesh Sonune, and other officers reviewed ongoing work.
By nightfall, however, their plans were thrown into disarray. As per the Additional Commissioner’s orders, ward office teams were expected to remain on standby with manpower and machinery — but the extent of flooding in the evening put enormous pressure on an already stretched disaster response system.
Rainfall Snapshot: Chinchwad Tops the List
According to latest readings until 10 pm, Chinchwad recorded the highest rainfall in the region with a staggering 93.5 mm, followed by Talegaon Dhamdhere (78.5 mm), Hadapsar (67.5 mm), and Dudulgaon (65.5 mm). Wadgaonsheri saw 58.5 mm, while central areas like Koregaon Park received 9 mm and NDA barely 1 mm. The stark disparity again highlighted the unpredictable spread of pre-monsoon showers.
Forecast: More Rain, More Worry
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds (30–40 km/h) through May 26, with light to moderate rainfall likely every day. With today’s downpour exposing the vulnerabilities in urban infrastructure, the coming week could prove a real test for PMC’s preparedness and the resilience of the city’s daily life.
