06 October,2010 10:14 AM IST | | Debarati Palit
After Monday's chaos, civic body calls meeting to discuss measures to help city combat heavy downpour
There is more of the same to come, said the Met yesterday after heavy rain lashed the city and its adjoining areas for an hour late on Monday evening.
Prompted by the chaos and casualties caused by the sudden downpour, the civic body held a meeting yesterday to decide on measures to be taken to prevent the city from being thrown out of gear again.
The sudden and severe downpour that began around 8.30 pm on Monday caused water-logging and traffic problems that lasted till late in the night, while one of the several cases of wall-collapse claimed two lives.
At 140 mm in two-and-half hours, the rainfall was the highest of the season, said the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). In the 24 hours since the rain began on Monday evening, the city recorded 18 cm of rainfall.
"Heavy spells will continue for the next three days," said Medha Khole, director, IMD. "But it would be difficult to say if the intensity of the rainfall will be same as it was on Monday."
The IMD does not think it will rain continuously through the day, but that there will be spells of heavy rainfall.
Khole said that low pressure over the Bay of Bengal and the above-normal local temperature for the past few days had contributed to heavy spells of rainfall.
PMC meeting
After officials of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) held a meeting that lasted many hours to decide on a course of action over the next few days, Prashant Waghmare, city engineer (roads), said: "Monday's rainfall was an extraordinary situation. In the meeting it was decided that seven teams would be constituted to directly function under the Municipal Commissioner, Additional Commissioner and city engineers. They will be provided with machinery from various organisations to cope with water-logging and control traffic. Whatever they require will be provided to them."
Monday's rain submerged half of the city. Reports of traffic jams, water-logging, walls collapsing and minor accidents had poured in from across the city. In certain areas, commuters were stuck till midnight. In Baner, Ram Nadi nullah was overflowing, making it impossible for vehicles to cross. Working professionals, students and families were seen waiting in their cars for the water level to reduce.
Ritesh Pillay, a BPO employee, was among those stuck near the nullah for at least four hours.
"The police were scared to go anywhere near the nullah. It's only the fire brigade officials who helped us," said Pillay.
Devendra Gaikwad, another BPO employee, also waited at the spot on his bike for hours. "It was raining continuously and we had no place to stand. Women and children were all stranded on the road," said Gaikwad.
