When Hadapsar resident Anand Barve rode through the Camp area on a Saturday evening in July, he never imagined a waterlogged pothole would leave him barely able to walk the next day.“The impact was so severe that I immediately felt something had gone wrong with my lower back. I woke up on Sunday with intense pain and stiffness and booked a doctor’s appointment. I fear it could even be a slip disc. It looks like I’ll now have to undergo multiple physiotherapy sessions because I can’t even walk properly, let alone ride a bike,” said Barve, a bank employee. Persistent rain in July has exposed Pune’s battered roads, and motorists have increasingly been paying the price. Water-filled potholes, uneven manhole covers and damaged road surfaces have turned daily commutes into a hazardous exercise, leaving many with back, neck, shoulder and elbow injuries after sudden jolts or skidding incidents. City-based orthopaedic surgeon Dr Kiran Shete said enquiries from patients have been increasing. “There is around 30% increase in the number of patients citing such issues. On regular days, I would see five to six cases, but no longer. Towards the month-end, I came across almost 10 cases in which people were injured after falling from their two-wheelers due to bad roads. The numbers are only increasing now. Sudden jerks due to potholes and vehicles slipping on wet roads are resulting in injuries. Since road conditions are poor, motorists need to be extremely cautious,” he told TOI. Apart from potholes, commuters said uneven manhole and stormwater drain covers have emerged as another major safety concern. “During a downpour, I travelled from MG Road to Wanowrie via Camp and encountered over 15 uneven manhole covers — I counted. There are many more across the city, and once they’re submerged, they become impossible to spot. No matter how carefully you drive, the city’s roads are unsafe. It makes you wonder what happened to the pre-monsoon preparedness of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC),” said daily commuter Swapnil Joshi. Wanowrie resident and working professional Sudhir Pant was driving a car when he hit an uneven stormwater drain recently. “The streetlights were off and I was at a sharp turn along the road leading to Kedari petrol pump. This stormwater drain was constructed recently but was very uneven, thanks to PMC’s quality of work. I badly injured by back and shoulders. I went to a doctor in the vicinity, who said it might be a slip disc. Now, I am resting and undergoing physiotherapy. The whole treatment cost me over Rs3,000 till date, but things are far from fine,” he told TOI. For Dhanori resident Prakash Rajnane, the hazard nearly resulted in a serious accident. “I almost fell off my two-wheeler after hitting two uneven manhole covers on my way to Pune railway station one evening in mid-July. Because of the rain and poor street lighting, I couldn’t see them. A similar incident happened on Moledina Road a week prior. I escaped with a leg injury, but someone else may not be as fortunate,” said the private sector employee. Consultant orthopaedic surgeon Dr Anand Jadhav of Jupiter Hospital advised motorists to remain vigilant during the monsoon. “Drive slowly, maintain lane discipline and be especially careful on waterlogged roads by watching the movement of vehicles ahead. If pain after a sudden jerk is severe or begins affecting sleep or daily work, medical attention should not be delayed,” he had said in an earlier conversation with TOI. According to the doctor, sudden bumps faced by two-wheeler riders can cause back or neck pain due to muscles going into spasm, while there is also a risk of getting a disc bulge or prolapse in the lumbar spine. Further, riders may lose balance and fall, causing other injuries to upper or lower limbs. But the risk is not restricted to two-wheelers, and those undertaking journeys in cars are also affected. Sudden jerks on pothole-filled roads can cause neck muscle and back muscle spasms. Deep potholes can also cause fractures of lumbar vertebrae, especially in the elderly. Typically, patients coming with similar complaints are professionals who use PCs, laptops or even mobile phones for their work. Independent physiotherapist Richa Pathak also said she has seen a noticeable rise in new appointments. “Many patients are reporting lower back pain, suspected slip disc injuries or muscle strain after hitting potholes or skidding on wet roads. Two-wheeler riders are particularly vulnerable. Recovery often requires repeated physiotherapy sessions along with medication,” she said.Official Speak‘Pre-monsoon MNGL digging has left roads in poor state’We work on fixing potholes throughout the year, especially pre-monsoon. Currently, the tar plant is shut because of the rainy season and the weather does not permit use of hot-mix tar. We are using the cold-mix substitute wherever possible. A lot of roads are in a poor state since MNGL has done a lot of pre-monsoon digging. There was a push from Centre for piped gas amid the global supply crisis, so we had to give permission for digging. The resurfacing work has not been done properly. Maintenance and repair work is now the responsibility of the ward office and we are helping them where possible. We also have three tenders worth Rs25 crore in approval stages for resurfacing on major roads. We should get the nod for these next month. We are continuously working to fix potholes at both the ward and main road department levels — Abhijeet Ambekar, Chief Superintendent Engineer, PMC Road Department_________________________________‘First rains block grilles and drains with garbage’We have identified 49 major spots where waterlogging is an issue and have also taken short-term measures at most of the places. Permanent fixes will happen soon. A lot of the waterlogging happens as waste on roads gets stuck in grilles or drains after the first downpours. However, cleaning drains is a recurring activity and is being done throughout the year. In many areas, citizens remove grilles or manhole covers for water to flow through, but these could then become accident-prone spots. We don’t have a very robust stormwater network, but we are working on improving it daily — Sanjay Gaikwad, Executive Engineer, PMC Drainage Department_______________________Suggestions for Vehicle Users1. Drive slowly on bad roads2. Follow lane discipline3. Keep sufficient distance between vehicles4. Avoid risky overtaking manoeuvres5. Observe traffic ahead to see abnormal vehicle movements due to potholes, which may be covered by rainwater and easily missed6. Two-wheeler riders must wear helmets for safety reasons7. Seek medical attention if pain is severe and starts affecting your work or sleep*Source: Dr Anand Jadhav, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Jupiter Hospital, Baner
