Continuous heavy rainfall in the Khadakwasla dam's catchment area led to the release of a large volume of water into the Mutha River on Sunday night, submerging the Bhide and Shivane bridges again on Monday morning.
The bridge has gone under water for the second time this monsoon.
Bhide Bridge, popularly known as Baba Bhide Bridge, is an important link in Pune that connects the Deccan area to Narayan Peth across the Mutha River. Constructed in 1996, the bridge often gains attention during the monsoon as it frequently gets submerged when water is released from the Khadakwasla Dam. It is named after Babarao Bhide, a noted lawyer and social reformer.
In mid-April, the Metro officials and traffic police officials closed the bridge to carry out work on the pedestrian bridge connecting the metro station.
Bhide and Shivane bridges act as rainfall indicators for the city. With rainfall in the Khadakwasla area, the low-lying bridges get submerged in water.
The irrigation department had announced the water release from the dam with a warning to riverbank residents.
The recent heavy rainfall has significantly improved reservoir levels. The four main dams that supply water to Pune—Khadakwasla, Panshet, Varasgaon, and Temghar.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted moderate to heavy showers across Maharashtra for the weekend, as per its forecast.
A closer look at the weather outlook from July 25 to July 28 indicated rainfall activity across key districts, including Pune, Nashik, Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Ahmednagar, and Aurangabad. As per the prediction, these regions were expected to witness varying intensities of rain during this period.
Pune city and district witnessed consistent monsoon showers this season, boosting dam levels, improving water supply in the dams providing water to the city.
