Heavy Rains Paralyze Pimpri-Chinchwad: Floods & Tree Falls Disrupt Life

Pimpri-Chinchwad has faced severe disruptions since Tuesday due to heavy rain. The rising water level of the Pavana river has resulted in multiple tree falls by Wednesday, damaging vehicles and causing traffic jams. Additionally, a fire broke out, and a wall collapsed at Zero Boys Chowk in Sant Tukaram Nagar, prompting quick responses from disaster management and fire brigade teams. By 4 pm, the fire department reported 10 fallen trees.

Continuous rain over the past 24 hours has disrupted life in Pimpri-Chinchwad and Maval areas, with Lonavla receiving 275 mm of rainfall. The Pavana river’s water level has increased, with the dam now over 50% full, and water has entered the Morya Gosavi temple in Chinchwad.

Morning rain created difficulties for workers and school children, many of whom navigated flooded roads in raincoats and with umbrellas. The flooding slowed traffic, particularly for two-wheeler drivers.

Tree falls in various parts of the city caused vehicle damage. Trees fell at Pimple Gurav’s Sudarshan Chowk at 7 am, Navi Sangvi district hospital at 7:30 am, in front of Tata Motors in Chinchwad at 9:30 am, near Birla Hospital in Chinchwad village at 12:08 pm, Thergaon Dange Chowk around 1 pm, and Pimpri Vaibhavnagar at 1 pm.

At 2 pm, a wall collapse at Zero Boyz Chowk in Pimpri caused significant vehicle damage. The fire brigade, which discovered a body in the riverbed, removed the fallen trees and extinguished a fire in Pradhikaran Sector 23. Fire brigade teams from Pimpri, Thergaon, Chikhali, and Talwade, including Kiran Nikalje, Sarang Mangalurkar, Suraj Punde, Ankush Bade, Shahu Vanmane, and Bhushan Yewle, responded promptly. Despite traffic being blocked at several locations due to fallen trees, the routes were cleared quickly to alleviate congestion.

Lonavla has recorded its highest rainfall of the year with 275 mm over the past eight days, causing significant flooding in several areas, including Nangargaon Adarsh Society, Narayani Dham, Valvan village near Bapdev temple, and the Valvan Nangargaon market area. The Indrayani river’s water level has also risen significantly.

Water accumulation from the past 24 hours of rainfall has stranded motorists in low-lying areas and under flyovers, leading to traffic jams and minor accidents. Many people took shelter under grade separators and metro stations, worsening congestion as parked vehicles blocked traffic flow.