While 60 tree collapse calls were attended to by Pune fire brigade, 65 were attended by PCMC fire brigade and five by the PMRDA unit. (Representational Photo)
Incessant rain with intermittent heavy spells, accompanied by strong winds, lashed Pune and surrounding areas on Wednesday, resulting in power outages due to damage to 540 feeder lines across the district, and several instances of tree collapse and waterlogging.
Pune city and surrounding areas started receiving rain from Tuesday evening, with some intermittent spells of heavy showers and strong wind on Wednesday afternoon, as a result of cyclonic activity in the coastal area.
Officials said due to North-Eastward movement of Cyclone Nisarga, very strong winds and intense spells were reported in Junnar, Ambegaon, Khed and Maval taluka of Pune district throughout Wednesday, causing severe damage to feeder lines, resulting in power outages in large areas of the district.
Across Pune district, as many as 540 feeder lines were damaged due to tree collapse incidents and other reasons, said officials of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL). Out of these, neraly 340 lines in Junnar, Ambegaon, Khed and Maval talukas had to be shut down for safety reasons till the time a complete examination could be done. The damage to feeder lines also led to power outages in many areas in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad on Wednesday.
Work on restoration of power supply was hindered by incessant rain and strong winds at various places, said MSEDCL PRO Nishikant Raut. In Pune city, 82 feeder lines were damaged while in Pimpri-Chinchwad, 115 lines were affected.
According to information shared by fire brigade departments of Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA), firefighters attended to over 130 calls of tree collapse on Wednesday. The total number of tree collapse incidents was estimated to be more as many cases went unreported, said officials.
While 60 tree collapse calls were attended to by Pune fire brigade, 65 were attended by PCMC fire brigade and five by the PMRDA unit. In many cases, the collapsed trees blocked roads and damaged power lines, leading to outages. While there were no casualties in these incidents, damage to property and vehicles were reported.
In Pune, tree collapse incidents were reported from Nagar Road, Vishrantwadi, Yerawada, Bibwewadi, Upper Indiranagar, Bhavani Peth, Rasta Peth, Mangalwar Peth, Pashan, Aundh, Model Colony, Sinhagad Road, Dahanukar Colony, Bhandarkar Road, Dattawadi and Kondhwa. In Pimpri-Chinchwad, tree collapse incidents were reported from Nigdi, Wakad, Pinwale, Chinchwad and Pimpri, according to fire brigade officials.
There were nine instances of waterlogging on roads and residential societies in Pune.