Unseasonal rain and hailstorm paralyse Pune, waterlogging reported across city

Unseasonal and intense rainfall accompanied by thunder lightning and hailstorms has brought the entire Pune city and its adjoining regions to a near standstill with large parts of the city witnessing severe waterlogging poor visibility and widespread disruption to daily life on Thursday For the third consecutive day Pune has been witnessing this unusual spell of premonsoonlike weather in peak summer with conditions intensifying further on Thursday afternoonSeveral areas across Pune city including Swargate Warje Shivajinagar Jungli Maharaj Road Hadapsar Pashan Pimpri Chinchwad and Dapodi reported heavy downpours leading to water accumulation of 1 to 15 feet on major roads Dense cloud cover led to sudden darkness during afternoon hours forcing motorists to switch on headlights to navigateTwowheeler riders bore the brunt of the situation struggling to manoeuvre through flooded stretches while fourwheeler traffic slowed significantly due to low visibility and waterlogged junctions In many areas water levels rose up to footpath height disrupting pedestrian movement PMC fire officials received 145 waterlogging calls from residents and 21 tree falling callsSeveral acres of farmland and crops were destroyed due to hailstorms and rainfall PICSBY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTMayor directs measuresPune Mayor Manjusha Nagpure has directed immediate onground response measuresKey actions orderedgtgt Rapid clearance of fallen trees and hazardous branchesgtgt Emergency desilting of drains and guttersgtgt Deployment of teams across all administrative zonesgtgt Field inspections by senior officialsgtgt Priority to citizen safety and restoration of traffic flowldquoEnsuring uninterrupted basic services and citizen safety is our primary responsibility Immediate steps are being taken to address the current crisis and prevent recurrence through structured planningrdquo said NagpurePMC emergency helplinesgtgt 02025506800gtgt 02025501269Situation criticalWith rainfall expected to gradually reduce from Friday but continue shifting towards other regions of Maharashtra authorities remain on alert Citizens are advised to exercise caution particularly during afternoon hours when weather activity peaks The ongoing spell highlights Punersquos growing vulnerability to extreme weather events outside the monsoon season raising concerns over urban preparedness and climate variabilityPCMCrsquos action planA flooded house amid heavy downpourFollowing similar disruption in PimpriChinchwad the municipal administration has rolled out a structured response strategyImmediate measures includegtgt Filling potholes and repairing damaged roadsgtgt Securing ongoing excavation sitesgtgt Deployment of pumping systems in waterlogged areasgtgt Monitoring at key junctions bridges and underpassesgtgt Strengthening 24x7 control room responsegtgt Drain and nullahcleaning drivesgtgt Identification of chronic waterlogging spotsHailstorms damage cropsIn addition to urban flooding hailstorms were reported in parts of rural Pune district including Junnar and surrounding areas raising concerns over significant crop damage Farmers are likely to face losses as standing crops have been impacted by the sudden weather shiftFarmers bear heavy lossesThe relentless rain and hail storms have left local farmers in tears A wide range of crops from vegetables to onions and grapes has suffered extensive damage Between the indirect impacts of global conflicts and this volatile shift in weather patterns crops like bananas onions grapes and many others have been devastatedGulab Neharkar a farm ownerFor Gulab Neharkar a farm owner in the Pune district history has unfortunately repeated itself After completing last yearrsquos harvest he had just prepared his vineyard for a new crop cycle only to have those efforts shattered by the recent downpourExplaining the dire situation Neharkar said ldquoFarmers in our region are sitting with their heads in their hands weeping In our own vineyard the grape sprouting has been severely damaged Beyond that onion farmers are facing a total catastrophe Due to existing export issues onion prices had already plummeted with 10 kg selling for a measly 80 to 100 rupees Now this sudden unseasonal rain has soaked the readytoharvest onions causing them to rot before they can even leave the fieldrdquoOfficial SpeakWeather officials attributed the phenomenon to a wind discontinuity over the region leading to atmospheric instability and triggering afternoon convective activity with thunderstorms gusty winds and intense rainfall Similar conditions are expected to continue for the next 23 days said officials A sharp temperature drop has also been recorded mdash from 3536degC to around 29degC after rainfall mdash which may impact sensitive individualsIMD saysAn India Meteorological Department IMD scientist told midday ldquoThe rain will reduce from Friday It will likely move forward to central Maharashtra and the Marathwada region Mumbai will not be affected significantly but may receive a short spell in some parts tomorrowrdquoRainfall in mm recorded on April 2NDA840 mmShivajinagar650 mmHadapsar425 mmPashan363 mmDapodi290 mmChinchwad285 mmMalin185 mmDudulgaon135 mmNimgiri130 mmNarayangaon120 mmTalegaon65 mmRajgurunagar45 mmKurvande25 mmShirur20 mmBallalwadi10 mmHaveli05 mmThe data underlines the high spatial variability and intensity of the ongoing weather system across the entire Pune districtBy Ruchita Shah