Pune: Teams of the Pune city fire brigade rescued 25 people trapped in their first and second-floor flats in Ektanagari and adjacent Nimbajnagar of Anandnagar off Sinhagad Road after water from the Mutha river entered housing societies on Sunday afternoon. Across the city, PMC shifted 387 families and 1,481 citizens from low-lying areas. Residents of Dwarka Apartments, Anand Park, Kudale Patil Garden, Jal Vihar, Jal Pujan, and others were rescued, including some elderly persons, who could not walk.
Officials also rescued a dog and cat from the two flats. Pune fire brigade chief Devendra Potphode said, “Our teams were monitoring the water level situations in Ektanagari, Nimbajnagar, Narayan Peth, Sadashiv Peth, Deccan, and Yerawada since Saturday night after dam discharge into Mutha and Mula rivers rose.” The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and fire brigade officials shifted over 15 people to temporary shelters after river water entered societies in Shantinagar of Yerawada on Sunday morning.
Water flooded over 40 hutments in Shantinagar and also entered parking areas of some buildings, following which a rescue operation was carried out. “Our teams repeatedly made announcements requesting residents to vacate, but few responded,” said Potphode, adding, “No untoward incident has been reported so far.” PMC commissioner Rajendra Bhosale, who had gone to check on rescue operations at Sinhagad Road, faced difficulties leaving the building amid flooding.
The civic chief w.