Pune floods due to failure of the Khadakwasla and Panshet dams, killing at least two thousand people.
Khadakwasla Dam is a dam on the Mutha River 21 km (13 mi) from the centre of the city of Pune in Maharashtra, India. The dam created a reservoir known as Khadakwasla Lake which is the main source of water for Pune and its suburbs.
In the vicinity of Khadakwasla Dam is the National Defence Academy (NDA), the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), the College of Military Engineering, Pune (CME, Dapodi) and Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS). A few kilometres to the south lies Sinhagad Fort; the twin dams of Panshet and Varasgaon, which mainly supply water for irrigation but also feed into Khadakwasla Lake, lie just 8 km (5.0 mi) due west of the backwaters of Khadakwasla Lake.
Khadakwasla Dam burst at 7:30 am on 12 July 1961, causing the greatest ever disaster to strike Pune. It was not blown up, as some have been led to believe, it simply collapsed at the point of greatest impulsive force, unable to withstand the destructive forces generated by three times the quantity of water gushing in from upstream than it was meant to store at peak capacity as placid water.
Pune (Marathi: [puɳe] (listen); English: ; also known as Poona, the official name until 1978) is the seventh most populous city in India and the second-largest city in the state of Maharashtra, with an estimated population of 7.4 million as of 2020. It has been ranked "the most liveable city in India" several times. Along with the municipal corporation of PCMC, PMC and the three cantonment towns of Camp, Khadki, and Dehu Road, Pune forms the urban core of the eponymous Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR).According to the 2011 census, the urban area had a combined population of 5.05 million while the population of the metropolitan region was estimated to be 7.4 million. Situated 560 metres (1,837 feet) above sea level on the Deccan plateau, on the right bank of the Mutha river, Pune is also the administrative headquarters of the Pune district.
In the 18th century, the city was the seat of the Peshwas, the prime ministers of the Maratha Empire, and one of the most important political centres in the Indian subcontinent. The city was previously also ruled by the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, the Mughals and the Adil Shahi dynasty. Historical landmarks include the Lal Mahal, the Kasba Ganapati temple and Shaniwar Wada. Major historical events involving the city include the Mughal–Maratha Wars and the Anglo-Maratha Wars.
Pune is widely regarded to be the second major IT hub and the most important automobile and manufacturing hub in India. It is also known as the 'Oxford of the East' given the presence of a wide range of educational institutions. India's first indigenously run girls' school was started in Pune by Savitribai Phule. The city has emerged as a major global educational hub in recent decades, with nearly half of the total number of international students in the country studying in Pune. Research institutes of information technology, education, management and training attract students and professionals from India and overseas.