Pune: Lack of drainage infra stings Mhalunge residents

PUNE: Residents from the newly merged Mhalunge area have claimed that incomplete work of laying of drainage lines and strengthening the same network in their localities is leading to a major mosquito menace, naturally accompanied by a host of health issues, especially of vector-borne diseases.
The citizens have approached the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), demanding an urgent solution to the issue, which they say has aggravated over the last 1.5 months because the open sewage network is choking up more frequently.

Amol Mohol, a local resident, said the sewerage issues have been there for more than a year. “This is because the entire area is still to be given a strong underground drainage system. Earlier, during the gram panchayat regime, the administration used to clear the sewer by pushing the contents further into a nullah. But now, with inclusion of our area into PMC limits, we expect the civic administration to set up a system that can handle the sewage in a systematic manner, considering how the demand is set to play out over the next few years,” Mohol said.
Another resident, Vishal Mohol, said that the choked nullah has led to a massive menace of mosquito breeding, and the water from here is also seeping into other sources like wells.
“Residents are already fed up with the terrible stench of open drainage. Now, they have to deal with mosquitoes and associated ailments. We want the PMC to prepare a plan for sewer lines and join these lines to a main one to prevent frequent choking. This should be done as a priority considering the increasing population of the area.”
The residents also said drainage line work was taken up by the gram panchayat but left incomplete due to some “technical reasons” and the want of land. In June 2021, the area was merged into PMC.
Civic officials said that they will be conducting site visits to work out some solutions. A PMC official told TOI, “We will ask a team to visit the spots. Based on their observations, we will prepare a plan to clear the drains. ”