The Mutha river flows through the Tapodham area in Pune, where a small settlement of the Potraj community lives in an overlooked and hard-to-reach cluster of huts along the riverbank. On July 24 this year, torrential rains hit this area at night, disrupting life. “We were asleep when we suddenly felt our blankets turn wet. We woke up at 3 a.m. to our home submerged in water.  Though this was not the first time our huts were filled with water, we did not know how to respond as the water level began to rise,” shares Kavita Nimbalkar, a 25-year-old homemaker from the community.

The water gradually filled the house and reached up to their knees. “We got our small children out of the house first, then we tried to get the sheep and chickens. As the water levels kept rising, we somehow managed to escape. Two of our sheep were washed away, and so were the chickens. The men swam through the water, trying to save whatever they could grab, but essential government documents, household items, and several pets were lost to the flood.

Amidst the downpour, the then Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde, ordered the evacuation of residents living within the river’s blue line, which marks the flood level expected over a 25-year period. These areas are considered vulnerable to floods. Around 4,000 residents from various areas within the blue line were evacuated to safety by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

Satish Nimbalkar (28), another member of the Potraj community, was evacuated with his family of five. Nimbalkar, originally from Baramati, moved to Pune 14 years ago. “We were staying in Chaudhari School where the municipal corporation had given us shelter, but six families were crammed into just two rooms. We swam through the flood to save our two sheep and three chickens but didn’t have place to keep them. We’ve lived in Pune for 14 years and never seen water levels this high. This time, the loss is enormous,” he shared.

Shakuntala Nimbalkar (45), also from the Potraj community, says she lost all her belongings due to the flood. She was rehabilitated at the school for more than 15 days. “We feel like we are living in a state of exile. We had no access to education, but somehow three of my children are studying now. Our hut was full of water; we will have to rebuild it now. My family begs in the name of Mari Aai all day and make rupees 200–250 daily, and now even this source of income has stopped. We cannot go out until the rain subsides. We are going to struggle for food. Who will help us? When a flood warning is issued, why don’t they inform us in advance?” she told Mongabay India during an interview at the temporary shelter.

This community that lives in Pune is known as “Kadak Lakshmi” in some parts of Maharashtra, “Potraj” in others, and “Mariamwale” elsewhere. In Maharashtra, they are classified as part of nomadic tribes, and in Madhya Pradesh, they fall under the Scheduled Tribe category. This community typically makes a living by performing folk art on the streets for audiences who contribute what they can. Their traditional attire usually includes brightly coloured clothes, long hair, turmeric and vermillion on their foreheads, and a waist belt made of ankle bells. They carry a long whip in their hands. On average, they earn around Rs. 300-400 daily. Some individuals, now, have moved on from the traditional profession and work as waiters, drivers, or watchmen, earning between Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 8,000 per month. Many of the youth is the now the first generation of Potraj families that is pursuing education. Mongabay India met Karan Nimbalkar who is in his second year of graduation and Ganesh Nimbalkar who aspires to become a police officer. However, with rebuilding their lives being a priority after the floods this year, it has become difficult for them to achieve their goals.

Pune, with a metropolitan population of about seven million, is a major educational and IT hub in western India with an economy driven by technology, manufacturing, and automotive industries. About 30-40% of the population of the city, according to various estimates, lives in informal settlements, many of them working as help in homes and institutions or other informal service jobs. Though they are a key part of the city’s demographics, many of their struggles, often brought on by urbanisation and climate change, go unnoticed.

Pune’s vulnerable citizens

Another settlement in Pune that was flooded this year is in the Tadiwala road area, that lies along the Mula-Mutha river which is formed by the confluence of the Mula and Mutha rivers and traverses across Pune city.

The Tadiwala road settlement, densely packed with houses, is a few kilometres away from the city’s main railway station and some of the affluent neighbourhoods of the city. It is home to many people who work the city’s informal service sector.

Over time, the settlements have expanded downwards from the main road toward the riverbank. Nita Waghmare (35) (name changed), a member of the community who works as a security staff in a hospital, says, “Our house got flooded twice. The first time, we didn’t even realise what was happening. There was no warning. The water suddenly rushed in and caused a lot of chaos.”

Waghmare’s house is at the end of a narrow lane. The water came in from the street and flooded her home completely. “We grabbed whatever belongings we could and rushed out. We had to save lives first, right? I have three children — who else would look after them?” she asked. This was not the first time Waghmare’s house was flooded. Whenever Pune experiences torrential rain, her house is flooded with sewage; insects and worms infest the place. “The authorities know that this settlement floods every year, so why don’t they do anything for us?” she added.

K.S. Hosalikar, Scientist ‘G’ and Head of Climate Research & Services at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Pune, states that flood forecasting is managed by the Central Water Commission, which relies on various meteorological inputs from the IMD. The IMD has also developed a South Asia flood warning system available on its website, providing real-time flood inundation guidance in graphical form. Based on this data, the IMD issues flood guidance to all stakeholders in addition to regular forecasts. However, there is always room for improvement for which IMD always strives, he shared.

The IMD has an Urban Meteorology Scheme that addresses urban meteorology issues, including flood warning systems developed and implemented in cities like Mumbai and Chennai.

When asked about the concerns of the slum dwellers regarding early warnings being issued to them, Hosalikar shared that while early warning is issued by the IMD in all formats, it is also the responsibility of other stakeholders to ensure that the warnings reach the last mile. “We have several applications in local languages, social media and many other platforms to reach out to all of them. An integrated approach with all stakeholders including media is key to ensuring that the information reaches the last mile,” he shared.

After the flood

Patil Estate, an informal settlement, also situated on the banks of the Mula-Mutha River, gets flooded every year. A settlement of 1,100 houses built of tin sheets, it has a population exceeding 7,000. After the water receded this year, people from Patil Estate returned home from the government-provided temporary shelters.

Reshma Kamble (43) who works as domestic help recalls, “When we came back, our house was full of mud. The drainage lines carrying sewage outside were not cleaned, despite our requests. Cleaning the house was a huge struggle, and the municipal corporation didn’t send anyone to help.”

Shabana Sheikh, another resident of Patil Estate, shares that the flood water reached knee level inside their home this year. Sheikh lives in a small room, with another room above it, with her husband and three children. Her husband drives a rickshaw, which is how they support their family of five. “We were given temporary shelter at a school, but how many of us could have fit there? There was no space to sit or sleep. We spent the days at the temporary shelter just sitting around, unable to work,” she shared.

After the floods subsided, the then Chief Minister visited these areas and assured that the settlements would be cleaned and ration (subsidised food grains) would be provided. Sheikh shares that they had to remove the knee-deep filth from their homes themselves, and they have received no ration from the government. “There’s still a stench in our house, and it’s infested with rats and insects. Is anyone thinking about the impact these floods are having on our health?” she asks.

Vanita Kamble (name changed) shares that after cleaning out their homes, their health has been affected. “Every day, one of us has to go to the hospital for aches and pains. There are drainage lines in front of our homes, which led to a mosquito problem. They’re not cleaned on time, and no fogging to repel mosquitoes is done. The municipal corporation isn’t paying any attention to our health,” she says.

Pratima Joshi, founder and executive director of Shelter Associates, an NGO that works for the betterment of the lives of the urban poor, shared that as a result of recurring floods, people were reluctant to make investments in their homes even though they had been residing in Pune for years. “Kaccha (temporary) houses were not built into pucca (permanent) houses for years, because people fear their investment would be wasted. During floods, people had no choice but to move to nearby government schools as their homes would be completely submerged. After a few weeks, they would return to homes filled with muck, which became a huge task to clean, and this was mostly done by women. The houses would be overrun with snakes, insects, and a stench that lingered for weeks, even after the water had receded,” she shared.

Riverfront project brings new challenges

The PMC initiated a riverfront development (RFD) project in 2022. One of the objectives of the project is to build embankments to protect the citizens against flooding. The project, estimated to cost around Rs. 5,500 crores, aims to reduce the impact of human-made obstacles on the river’s flow. Despite the significant expenditure, many residents in various informal settlements along the river, have shared that rainwater still entered their homes and complained that the riverfront development project has negatively impacted their lives.

According to PMC Disaster Management Cell, heavy rains in July caused flooding in Patil Estate and other areas twice. Being situated along the riverbank, Patil Estate was severely affected, with many residents’ belongings damaged.

When asked about rehabilitation, the Disaster Management Cell said that the responsibility to rehabilitate people living in the flood zones rests with the Construction Department.

According to the PMC Construction Department, the rehabilitation work has now been transferred to the SRA (Slum Rehabilitation Authority). As per government regulations, the size limit for new houses is set at 300 square feet. However, the residents of the settlement are demanding 550 square feet. As a result, the SRA has halted the work.

Meanwhile, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), another civic body that governs the Pimpri Chinchwad area of the larger Pune metropolitan region, has planned the demolitions of illegal constructions in the blue line of the Mula river.

Sarang Yadwadkar, Pune-based environmentalist and architect, shares that this year, Mutha River’s discharge from the Khadakwasla dam was 35,570 cusecs, while its blue line is defined for 60,000 cusecs. Although the discharge increased due to rainwater runoffs from the free catchment area, it remained below 60,000 cusecs. The blue line was crossed due to two main flaws in the floodline defined in 2011: they did not account for flows from the free catchment area and the confluence effect, where merging rivers slow down and create upstream pressure. Secondly, narrowing of the river by channelisation for the RFD project caused the blue line to be breached.

Historically, even higher flows (67,000 cusecs in 2014 and 90,000 cusecs in 1997) did not cause significant flooding. However, the 2024 floods with lower discharges raised concerns about increasing encroachments in the riverbed — both legal and illegal — that restrict river flow. “Encroachments include debris dumped to expand land and riverfront developments that have narrowed the river significantly. Just like traffic slows down at a busy junction where two roads meet, the velocity of the water reduces when two rivers meet. This causes back pressure on the upstream leading to rise in flood levels. This is how all the areas flooded this year were upstream of the RFD, highlighting the failure of RFD to manage water flow effectively,” he explained.

Girish Patil, founder of Youth Organization for Green India, explained how the narrowing of the river caused by concretization on both sides has slowed down its flow. “Both climate change and poor urban planning are at fault. The claim that the river improvement project caused water to enter settlements is valid,” he shared.

Addressing flood risks

Experts believe that repeated flooding in these areas will not stop unless the carrying capacity of the river is increased. Shailaja Deshpande of Jeevitnadi says, “Regulations prohibit construction in the blue flood zone and between the blue and red zones, allowing building only beyond the red line. However, this information hasn’t reached the public, leading to extensive construction in flood-prone areas. A wall won’t stop floodwaters; there must be proper drainage. The solution lies in increasing the flood-carrying capacity of rivers, streams, and tributaries, along with rainwater harvesting and borewells. Rehabilitation of those in flood zones as per regulations is essential.”

Building the embankments along the river ensured that the rainwater that accumulated along the riverbanks in homes could not flow back into the river, say the residents of these communities. The administration should have made provisions for the water to flow back into the river. “Despite environmental experts opposing the riverfront development project, instead of spending excessive amounts on this project, the administration should have focused on reviving the river, increasing its carrying capacity, and creating natural green zones. The city is already experiencing the consequences of climate change, and the administration should be spending on projects that would help reduce these impacts,” says Deshpande.

Pratima Joshi shared that Shelter Associates has created a database of Pune’s slums, and found that approximately 40% of Pune slums are either very close to or in the riverbed or along the river or canals. “There is no dearth of data on Pune slums. The authorities have to systematically start looking for ways to relocate people living in areas that get flooded yearly. However, such relocation must be done taking the people into confidence and with the participation of the community,” she shared.

Flooding has occurred in Shaniwar Peth, Pulachi Wadi, Rajput Vasti, and Ekta Nagari along Sinhagad Road, all located upstream of the RFD, Yadwadkar shared. The only significant change since 2019 has been the RFD. The RFD has reduced the river’s width by 38%. This has drastically decreased the river’s carrying capacity after the confluence.

Riverfront development project clears legal hurdles

The municipal corporation initiated the riverfront improvement project in March 2022. Currently, the Sangamwadi to Bund Garden stretch is 85% complete, while the Bund Garden to Mundhwa Bridge section is 27% complete. Following the project’s launch, environmental activists campaigned against it, prompting Sarang Yadwadkar to file a petition with the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The PMC submitted a report to the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) for modified environmental clearance. However, delays occurred due to unappointed SEIAA members. Recently, during a SEIAA hearing, the PMC’s draft was approved, granting the necessary environmental clearance. This approval was submitted to the NGT, which subsequently dismissed Yadwadkar’s petition. As a result, work on the project can now continue. Advocate Rahul Garg represented the PMC in the NGT. City engineer Prashant Waghmare stated, “After obtaining modified environmental clearance from the SEIAA and submitting it to the NGT, the petition against the PMC was dismissed. This will expedite the remaining work between Sangamwadi and Mundhwa Bridge.”

This story is produced under Project Dharitri, a joint undertaking by Asar and Baimanus. Mongabay-India is collaborating with the Project to highlight climate and gender issues.

Read the story in Marathi here.

Banner image: Patil Estate in Pune during floods in 2020. Image by Tushar Sarode.

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Aditi Tandon Senior Production Editor

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Maharashtra

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