4 min readPuneUpdated: Mar 23, 2026 12:48 PM IST
Residents of Hadapsar and the vicinity of Magarpatta City township in Pune woke up to an unusual summer crisis Monday as a major breach in the retaining wall of the Khadakwasla canal inundated several arterial roads and residential basements. The incident led to the closure of Magarpatta Road during the morning rush hour, causing significant disruption for commuters.
The incident was first reported at 2.30 am, with residents calling the civic disaster management department to report sudden flooding on roads behind Magarpatta City. “The road was flooded with water, and the water also entered the basements of buildings in the vicinity,” said a disaster management officer.
Hadapsar resident Sagar Avhad said he was shocked when he stepped out for a morning walk, as the road behind Magarpatta township was flooded. “I joined a few other citizens to divert the traffic using the road. We were unaware how it happened, but it had caused a lot of inconvenience to citizens who started their day early for work,” he said.
IT professional Dinesh Jagtap said, “The flooding on the road caused me inconvenience, as I had to rush to the office on Monday, the first day of the week, but got delayed because I had to take another route. The traffic diversion increased traffic on other roads, and it further added to the delay.”
Water release from dam stopped
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Disaster Management Officer Ganesh Sonune said it took time to identify the exact cause of the flooding, as there were doubts that it might be due to damage to the area’s water pipeline, but it was later confirmed that it was caused by damage to the irrigation department’s canal.
“The PMC informed the state irrigation department about the damage to the canal, which flooded the area behind Magarpatta City township. It has stopped releasing water from the dam, and the water will subside in four hours,” said the civic officer.
The PMC administration has begun draining water from roads via stormwater drains to reopen streets that were previously closed. Officials said they will also remove water that has accumulated in the basements of several buildings.
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The canal breach is almost 200 meters from the submerged road. Express photo by Arul Horizon.
The district irrigation office said it is undertaking repairs to the damaged canal on a war footing.
A public safety announcement has been issued regarding the canal water leak on the rear road between Heliconia and Vibgyor School. The water level has reached 2 feet, affecting the road and spreading into the West Gate at Mulberry Gardens and towards the South Gate of Magarpatta Township.
It asked residents to avoid using the Irani Cafe Road, the stretch from Kumar Paradise towards Irani. Mundhwa-Magarpatta Road is also blocked due to diverted traffic.
Traffic diversions
In an advisory issued Monday morning, Himmat Jadhav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said, “Due to a canal breach in the back side of Magarpatta of Hadapsar, water has accumulated on the road. As a result, traffic on the Magarpatta to Mundhwa Road has been severely affected and is nearly at a standstill. Heavy congestion has been reported at Mundhwa Chowk. Waterlogging is expected to persist on this stretch for approximately the next 10 to 12 hours. We are appealing to citizens to use alternate routes.”
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Alternate routes are:
1) Vaiduwadi Chowk – Shinde Vasti – Shirke Road – Jahangir Nagar Chowk – via Tadigutta – Mundhwa Chowk
2) 93 Avenue Mall/Kalubai Chowk – B.T. Kawade Road – Ghorpadi – Flower – Pingale Vasti – Tadigutta Chowk – Mundhwa Chowk
3) For those coming from Kharadi: Mundhwa Chowk – Tadigutta Chowk – Pingale Vasti – Ghorpadi Railway Flyover – B.T. Kawade Road – left turn to Hadapsar
4) Mundhwa Chowk – Tadigutta Chowk – Jahangir Nagar – B.G. Shirke Road – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Chowk – left turn to Shinde Vasti – Hadapsar Industrial Area – Vaiduwadi Chowk – Solapur Highway
5) For those coming from Solapur Road: 15 Number – Manjari – Z Corner – Lonkar Vasti – Keshavnagar – Mundhwa Chowk.
