PMC begins dredging of Bhairoba nullah to prevent monsoon flooding in Wanowrie & Pune Cantt

Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has started dredging and desilting work on the Bhairoba nullah, a key stormwater channel passing through the Pune Cantonment Board limits, with the monsoon barely weeks away. The move is aimed at preventing recurrent flooding in Wanowrie and adjoining cantonment areas.A senior PCB official confirmed that the cantonment board had requested PMC to carry out the work because of financial constraints. A senior Army officer from the Local Military Authority told TOI that PMC would remove garbage and accumulated silt and construct retaining walls along some stretches. "The work is currently under way near the Wanowrie Bazaar area and will be extended to other sections," the officer said.PMC officials, however, said it would not be possible to complete work along the entire stretch before the monsoon due to difficult site conditions. "Executing work inside the nullah is extremely challenging. The water is already flowing, there is heavy garbage, and transporting construction material is very difficult. Each task is taking almost double the usual time," a site in-charge said on Tuesday.Environmental concerns linked to the nullah have also persisted for years, particularly due to unchecked dumping. PMC has also planned the construction of retaining walls at select locations.The PMC officials said the ongoing work included sludge removal, clearing plastic waste, widening bottleneck stretches and restoring the natural flow of water ahead of the monsoon. The civic administration has also identified multiple flood-prone locations across Pune as part of its pre-monsoon preparedness drive.People living along the nullah, however, remain sceptical. They said such work was carried out every year but failed to provide a lasting solution. "Every monsoon, the water enters our lanes and parking areas. Authorities wake up only before monsoon. Once the season ends, nobody monitors the nullah," Nitin Jagtap of Wanowrie said.Another resident, Farzana Shaikh, questioned why the administration allowed the condition of the nullah to deteriorate over the years. "It is full of plastic, debris and untreated waste. Cleaning it before monsoon is not enough. There has to be strict monitoring throughout the year," she said.Activists also pointed to the broader issue of Pune's drainage infrastructure struggling under rapid urbanisation. Recent PMC assessments acknowledged that several flood-prone spots across the city remain vulnerable despite annual desilting exercises.