Pune: Water was released from Khadakwasla and upstream dams on Monday after heavy overnight rainfall in the catchment areas, raising flood concerns in the areas along the Mutha river. The discharge peaked at 14,500 cusecs before being reduced in the afternoon amid drop in rainfall intensity. Irrigation department officials, however, said the alert for areas along the Mutha and Mula rivers would remain in effect on Tuesday as a precautionary measure. “All the dams around Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad are full as of now. There is no choice but to release water from these reservoirs to accommodate any inflow,” an official said.Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has deployed staff at vulnerable spots — areas along Sinhagad Road, Patil Estate and Yerawada — following the water release. “No displacement has been reported from the flood-prone areas till Monday evening. Road users in several areas of the city, however, faced hardships during morning hours due to heavy waterlogging,” a civic official said.PMC officials said teams swung into action to clear the stormwater and drainage channels to clear accumulated water. “Action was taken at locations like Ganeshkhind Road, Sayyadnagar, Mundhwa and Katraj. PMC alerted the residents of localities near the riverbanks on possible rescue, in case of a rise in water levels,” a senior officer of the disaster management department said.The irrigation department said the water stock in 13 of 25 dams in the Bhima basin was at full capacity on Monday.IMD has forecast light to moderate rain in Pune city from Tuesday. Besides, heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in ghat areas of Pune is likely on Tuesday too with an orange alert. This will change to a yellow alert for ghat areas of Pune from Wednesday with a forecast of heavy rains at isolated places. GRAPHICDam WatchCollective stock: 29.05 TMC (99.6%)Stock at 100%: Panshet, Temghar, Varasgaon, Pavana, Andra, Bhama AskhedOn Alert All low-lying areas in Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and rural partsUnder watchMutha, Mula, Pavana, Indrayani & Bhima rivers
