Even before the India Meteorological Department (IMD) officially declares the advent of monsoons in Pune, the rain has already wreaked havoc in the city. There have been reports of waterlogging, tree falls, and power cuts in the last few days. Frustrated with this infrastructural collapse every year during the rains, netizens have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to express their anguish.
Sudhir Mehta, former president, Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), stated that this was a "collective failure of both the administration and public representatives." "At the risk of risk of sounding like a broken record...Every year, #Pune's infrastructural collapse is starkly exposed by the rains. The entire city descends into chaos, with already stagnant traffic grinding to a halt," he added.
A user commented, "It is disheartening to witness yet another instance of Pune's infrastructural inadequacies being starkly exposed by the annual monsoon rains. The image vividly captures the chaos that ensues: streets transformed into rivers, cars submerged, and traffic brought to a standstill. This is not just a natural disaster, but a glaring reminder of systemic failures in urban planning and project management."
Another user claimed that the concertisation of roads has led to this dire state. "Back in 90s-00s when it used to rain continuously, we used to not see such kind of flooding. Even with moderate rains, there is immediate flood-like situation now," he added.
Meanwhile, many users also claimed that such a situation occurs in all major cities. One user wrote, "I think this is unfair. Any city in the world will see flooded streets with heavy rains. It is not about whether streets get flooded it's about how quickly they drain after rain stops, which should be discussed. Remember the world-class city of Dubai a couple of months ago?"
"Such rains are going to be common due to climate change. Some thoughtful infra needs to be made like Tokyo's flood control system," commented another.
Check out the reactions below:
