Pune Power Outage Storms Cause Major Disruptions

The city of Pune has been grappling with significant disruptions in electricity supply following continuous rainfall and strong winds over the past several days.

The Nasrapur-Pabe area has been particularly affected, with at least 14 electric poles falling and others tilting, leading to widespread power outages. The unseasonal weather has caused major inconveniences, particularly in the eastern regions of the city. “It took us more than 24 hours to restore the power supply in this area. Simultaneously, we have also been working on annual maintenance work to prevent power supply disruption in the coming monsoon season,” said Navnath Ghatole, deputy executive engineer, MSEDCL.

In Velhe tehsil, the power supply to at least 30 villages was disrupted for over 24 hours. Residents in Wanowrie also experienced extended outages, with restoration efforts taking more than 12 hours. Repair crews worked tirelessly to restore power, finally succeeding by Tuesday, May 21. The adverse weather has also resulted in numerous incidents of treefall across Pune. On May 20, the fire brigade reported around 70 cases of trees being uprooted. One notable incident near Empress Garden involved a tree falling on a car, injuring a man who was subsequently rescued by fire brigade personnel. The Ramtekdi area in Hadapsar witnessed several instances of damage to boundary walls and sheds due to fallen trees.

Residents of affected areas have expressed frustration over delayed responses from municipal authorities. In Ramtekdi, numerous calls for assistance went unanswered until late in the afternoon on May 21. The municipal ward offices have been inundated with requests for help as the community continues to deal with the aftermath of the storms. The recent weather disruptions highlight the need for improved infrastructure resilience and emergency response mechanisms to better cope with such unseasonal and severe weather events. Authorities are urged to expedite efforts to bolster the city’s preparedness and mitigate the impact of future natural calamities.