Heavy rains lash Baramati, Indapur in Pune; NDRF deploys two teams to tackle flood-like situation

Pune: Heavy rains lashed Baramati and Indapur tehsils in Pune on Sunday, resulting in a flood-like situation in several areas, prompting the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to deploy specialised teams on the urgent request of the district collector, officials said.

Baramati tehsil received 83.6 millimetres of rain during the day, while the figure was 35.7 mm for Indapur, they added.

Pune (Rural) Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill said a stretch of the Pune-Solapur highway near Indapur remained closed for about two hours due to waterlogging but traffic resumed after the water receded.

Rainwater entered several homes in 70 villages in Indapur, as well as 150 homes in Baramati, forcing local authorities to immediately shift residents to safety, police and district officials said.

"In response to an urgent requisition from the district collector, the NDRF deployed two specialized teams to conduct rescue and relief operations in Baramati and Indapur. In Baramati, 19 homes suffered partial damage. In Katewadi, a family of seven stranded in their waterlogged home was rescued by locals and officials. In Jalochi village, one Rupesh Singh, stranded in a stream after his motorcycle was swept away, was rescued by the fire brigade," an official said.

In a release, the NDRF said, "The deployment was necessitated due to a breach in water canals, which resulted in severe inundation of multiple low-lying residential areas. Rising water levels in Kara river (Baramati) and Neera river (Indapur) further exacerbated the risk, triggering urgent evacuation concerns. Initially, seven people were reported trapped in Baramati, and two in Indapur."

"Both NDRF teams were mobilized from the unit headquarters in the evening. They comprise trained personnel, including divers equipped with deep diving sets, flood water rescue (FWR) gear and medical first response (MFR) equipment. The teams were dispatched to Baramati and Indapur for immediate response. All stranded people have been rescued," it added.