26 July,2024 05:03 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondent
The irrigation department discharged 35,000 cusecs of water from Khadakwasla Dam into Mutha River. This caused major flooding in Ekta Nagar. PTI
Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol on Friday said that information about releasing water from Khadakwasla dam should have been given in advance to the residents living in the low-lying Sinhgad Road area, which experienced flooding as rains wreaked havoc in Pune.
Amid incessant showers in the catchment areas, the irrigation department discharged 35,000 cusecs of water from Khadakwasla Dam into Mutha River. This caused major flooding in Ekta Nagar, which is located to the Mutha River.
Locals alleged that the municipal authorities did not alert them about releasing the dam water, owing to which water entered homes, damaging their properties.
Mohol, who represents the Pune Lok Sabha seat, flew in from Delhi on Thursday to take stock of the flood situation. He also interacted with the residents of the flood-hit Ekta Nagar in the Sinhgad Road area, news agency PTI reported.
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"Around 40,000 to 50,000 cusecs of water was discharged from Khadakwasla reservoir. If such a large quantity of water was to be released, the citizens and the civic administration should have been alerted about it. This was the fault of the department concerned, said Mohol, who is also the former mayor of Pune."
He said that such a "communication gap" should have been avoided.
"If the catchment areas had a red alert, and water in such large quantities was to be released, the civic body and police department should have been informed. Such a communication gap should be avoided in the future, and the departments concerned have been instructed on it," Mohol said.
He told the irrigation department that a discharge of 35,000 to 40,000 cusecs cannot cause flooding and suspects that more water had been released.
The district administration has been instructed to assess the damages. An immediate aid of Rs 5,000 will be disbursed to those affected by the situation. After the assessments, the exact estimate of losses will be ascertained, he said.
(With PTI inputs)
