Heavy Rains Trigger Prolonged Power Cuts Across Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad

Relentless rainfall across Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad has triggered widespread power outages, leaving thousands of residents without electricity for several hours and, in some areas, for more than two days.

According to the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd. (MSEDCL), power supply was intentionally shut down at several substations and transformers as a precautionary measure to prevent electrocution and other accidents caused by severe waterlogging and flooding.

The worst-hit areas included residential localities and industrial pockets in the Mulshi subdivision, where electricity remained disrupted for more than 48 hours in some places. MSEDCL officials said heavy rain uprooted trees, which fell on overhead power lines, damaging infrastructure and delaying restoration work.

Across several residential areas in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, power cuts lasting between 10 and 12 hours became a common complaint. While many housing societies initially relied on diesel generators, prolonged outages exposed another challenge—difficulty in procuring diesel due to persistent rain and disrupted transport. Home inverters also offered only temporary relief, with batteries getting exhausted within a few hours.

Residents in several housing societies in Kothrud said the prolonged blackout also disrupted water supply, as electric pumps could not fill overhead storage tanks. The outages also affected people working from home, with laptops, mobile phones and internet devices running out of charge.

Sapna Paul, a resident of Kothrud, said the extended outage forced families to depend on power banks and conserve battery usage. "Our inverter stopped working after a few hours, and we had to manage with power banks to keep our phones operational. Many residents shared charging devices with neighbours, especially those with children attending online classes," she said.

Another resident from a nearby housing society said families had to use their inverters judiciously to ensure they had enough backup power to complete office work during the day.

In Kondhwa, resident Rizwan Ahmad said he experienced a nearly 12-hour power outage beginning in the early hours of Monday. Society representatives said arranging diesel for the backup generator proved difficult because of the weather, and essential services could be restored only after fuel was procured later in the morning.

Power supply also remained erratic in parts of Hadapsar, where residents reported repeated interruptions even after electricity was restored. One resident said power resumed briefly before a transformer developed a fault, forcing authorities to disconnect supply again as a safety measure.

In the Rajgurunagar division, which covers Chakan, Vadgaon Maval, Lonavala and Talegaon, power supply to hundreds of transformers was suspended as a precaution.

MSEDCL officials said some shutdowns were carried out at the request of disaster response agencies to facilitate rescue operations in flood-affected areas. In one such instance, multiple high-voltage feeders were switched off to enable rescue teams to safely evacuate people trapped in a flooded building near Ambethan village. Electrical installations in parts of the Bhosari division and Dehu were also temporarily shut down after rising water levels threatened critical equipment.

Power restoration efforts continued throughout the day, with MSEDCL teams working to repair damaged infrastructure and restore normal supply as weather conditions permitted.

Officials have appealed to residents to stay away from fallen power lines and immediately report damaged electrical infrastructure to the utility's helpline.