PUNE: Extremely heavy rain continued to batter parts of Maharashtra with several locations in the Sahyadri Ghats logging 500-600mm in the 24 hours ending Tuesday 8. 30am. Mahabaleshwar in Satara district was lashed by cloudburst-like rain, recording 403mm in 24 hours and a staggering 916mm over the past 48 hours, and landslides.The downpour pushed several rivers above warning and danger levels and claimed two more lives in Maharashtra, taking the toll to 15 in the recent rain. One person died in a landslide in Satara district, while another was killed in a lightning strike in Nandurbar.Parts of Pune received another triple-digit spell on Tuesday with Chinchwad recording the highest at 268mm.The Mumbai-Pune Expressway connector, closed due to debris from a landslide on Monday, fully reopened to traffic. However, there were reports of partial disruptions in the expressway traffic because of a mudslide near Lonavla and authorities closed two lanes of the MumbaiPune corridor.Railway tracks on the Karjat-Lonavla section were yet to be cleared of debris. Train services on the Mumbai-Pune route were disrupted for the second day. Officials said 14 trains, including intercity services, were cancelled on Tuesday, while 13 were diverted until 3. 15pm.
Rainfall till Tuesday 8:30am
Heaviest rainfall concentrated over Western Ghats in state
In the state, the heaviest rainfall was concentrated over the Western Ghats. Dawdi recorded 688mm in the last 24 hours, followed by Lonavla (620mm) and Tamhini (530mm).A section of MumbaiAgra highway was temporarily disrupted on Tuesday morning after boulders and soil slid onto the road in the Kasara Ghat section following incessant rain in and around Igatpuri taluka. The heavy rainfall also triggered a landslide near the Lonavla-Khandala stretch.Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) and Pune Metropolitan Disaster Response Force (PDRF) teams carried out multiple evacuation operations across the district since Monday as heavy rain triggered flooding, waterlogging and landslides.Several rivers continued to flow above critical levels. The Kundalika and Pinjal rivers were above the warning level, while the Amba, Savitri and the Jagbudi rivers were flowing above the danger level.A PMRDA official said rescue teams shifted hundreds of people to safer locations in Lonavla, Maval, Khed, Lohegaon and Loni Kalbhor over the past 24 hours.Among the major rescue operations, two senior citizens stranded in the floodwaters at Green Land Villa in Lonavla were evacuated, while 21 residents trapped at Mount West Crista Society in Karla were rescued using life jackets, life rings and ropes.In Lohegaon, around 12 passengers were evacuated from a bus stranded in the floodwaters at Adarsh Nagar.Rescue teams also shifted around 20 residents and a pet dog from Surya Villa in Malavli, 15 people from Ankit Group Society on MalavliBoraj Road, and 34 residents from housing complexes in Waksai.PMRDA said search operations were underway for a person reported missing after being swept away at Retwadi in Khed taluka, while the body of aperson who drowned at Shelu was recovered.Separate search and rescue operations were in progress in the North Point and Shree Sixty Resort areas of Lonavla following landslides.The authorities advised residents in the low-lying areas to remain alert, avoid entering riverbeds, and follow official advisories as water in the Khadakwasla dam continue to rise.(With inputs from Joy Sengupta & Gitesh Shelke in Pune, Rahul Gayakwad in Kolhapur & Santosh Sonawane in Nashik)
