Monsoon fury: Landslides, floods cripple Maharashtra; 13 dead in 4 days; Mumbai on red alert

Thirteen people have died in the past three to four days in rain-related incidents in Maharashtra, state Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan has said. A red alert for heavy rain has been sounded for the next two days.

Two persons were killed while a search was underway for other missing family members after their house was buried in a landslide following heavy rains in Maharashtra’s Pune district on Monday (July 6). The incident occurred at Patan village in Maval tehsil.

Another person reportedly died after being swept away on a flooded road in Khed tehsil.

The Patan deaths

Three members of a family—Nandu Tikone, Mauli Tikone and Anita Nandu Tikone—were trapped after their house was buried under debris when a landslide struck the village in the early hours.

While the police and district administration stated there were three persons inside the house when the incident took place, the NDRF said four to five persons were trapped under the debris.

“The bodies of two persons have been recovered from the debris, and the search is underway for the other missing persons,” an NDRF official said.

Three landslides in one village

DSP (Lonavala division) Gajanan Tompe said three landslides occurred in the remote village following heavy rainfall.

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“In one of the incidents, a house was buried under the debris after a portion of Visapur fort slid down in the early hours of Monday. Three people were inside the house when the landslide occurred in the early hours of Monday,” he said.

In a related development, an NDRF team rescued 37 passengers stranded in a private bus after waterlogging near Ghorawadi railway station in Maval tehsil.

Biker swept away

Collector Jitendra Dudi said one person died after being swept away while riding a two-wheeler on a flooded road in Khed tehsil, and the body has been found.

“Due to the heavy rainfall, landslides have occurred at several places. Some roads were temporarily closed, while waterlogging created a mini-flood-like situation in certain areas,” he said.

Coordinated efforts by the revenue, police, public works and forest departments were underway to clear blocked roads and restore normalcy, the collector said.

CM declares ‘force majeure’

Both houses of the state legislature were adjourned in view of heavy showers, while the Bombay High Court assured that no adverse orders would be passed if lawyers were unable to reach the court.

Before the adjournment, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in the assembly that extreme rainfall was a “force majeure” situation beyond human control, but with people’s cooperation, such emergencies could be handled more effectively.

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“The entire disaster management machinery, municipal corporations and other agencies are on the ground. We are in alert mode,” he added.

Mumbai remains crippled

Rains continued to pummel Mumbai and its satellite towns during the day, crippling the metropolis and triggering landslides that forced authorities to shut the vital Mumbai-Pune Expressway and suspend railway operations in some sections.

Chief Minister Fadnavis expressed grief over the death of six persons in a chawl collapse in Mankhurd area and announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each for the kin of the deceased.

The three-storey chawl (row tenement) collapsed on Sunday night in the Mandala locality following heavy rains. Two to three tenements forming part of the three-storey structure caved in at around 8.30 pm on Sunday.

Missing Link fails test

Roads resembled rivers, trees crashed, the newly opened “Missing Link” section of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway failed its first monsoon test.

The Pune-Mumbai Expressway was also closed between the Connecting Link and Missing Link sections after a concrete pillar fell on the carriageway. The old Pune-Mumbai highway was also shut due to overflowing water at multiple locations.

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link is a 13-km bypass that cuts through the Sahyadri mountains, reducing travel distance by 6 km and shaving 25 to 30 minutes off the commute.

Thane and Palghar woes

Heavy rain triggered a total of 186 emergency complaints across Thane city, including 110 tree collapses, 38 fallen branches, four instances of waterlogging, two compound wall collapses, and one slab fall. A fireman was injured while clearing a massive uprooted tree, and, in separate incidents, a large billboard and two walls collapsed.

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In neighbouring Palghar, strong winds blew away the tin-roofed sheds and uprooted trees in a residential school, they said, adding that all 350 students at the establishment were safe.

Some parts of Palghar district recorded nearly 300 mm of rainfall in just two hours, worsening the situation by 9 am.

Waterlogging on Mumbai-Goa highway

Heavy rainfall in Raigad district led to severe waterlogging on the busy Mumbai-Goa highway, bringing traffic to a standstill for a few hours and leaving thousands of commuters stranded.

Floodwater accumulated on the highway at Sukeli Ghat near Nagothane, where water levels rose to nearly three feet, preventing the movement of vehicles on Sunday.

The inundation led to long queues of vehicles, stretching 8 to 10 km on both sides of the highway on Sunday. Traffic movement started on Monday, but was slow as continuous rainfall since Saturday night triggered a flood-like situation on the Nagothane-Wakan stretch.

Red alert in Raigad

The IMD has issued a ‘red’ alert for Raigad district for the next two days as heavy rainfall is expected to continue.

Police said traffic on the highway was suspended for a few hours on Sunday due to waterlogging within the limits of Sukeli village, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. With nightfall, concern among commuters increased as they awaited the restoration of traffic movement.

The Wakan-Pali road was also closed due to flooding. Authorities diverted traffic bound for Pune via Mangaon and Nizampur through the Tamhini Ghat, from where vehicles were routed towards Mumbai, as per officials.

The prolonged disruption caused inconvenience to motorists and passengers, many of whom were already grappling with poor road conditions and ongoing construction work along the Mumbai-Goa Highway.

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Motorists also complained of waterlogging at several locations on the highway, including stretches near Mangaon and Karnala Ghat, alleging that inadequate drainage infrastructure was responsible for the recurring flooding.

Stranded people rescued

Several people stranded at different locations were rescued with the help of teams from the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), NDRF and the Army.

“In Lonavala, a team from INS Shivaji assisted in rescue operations in the morning. People stranded at various locations have been evacuated safely,” Collector Dudi said.

Some trains had also halted in the Lonavala area due to the weather conditions, and passengers were safely evacuated, Dudi said.

Trains suspended

Train services on the busy Mumbai-Pune route were suspended after heavy rains triggered landslides in the Karjat-Lonavala Bhor Ghat section.

The Central Railway also suspended local train services between Karjat and Khopoli in Raigad district after heavy rain washed away the ballast (gravel bed supporting the tracks) between Lowjee and Dolavli stations.

Central Railway has set up helplines at major stations for passenger assistance: CSMT (022-22694040), Thane (9321336747), Lonavala (8356854238) and Dadar (9136452387). Passengers have been advised to use these numbers for real-time updates and travel-related information.

Affected services

Heavy rain and severe waterlogging also paralysed Western Railway (WR) operations, leaving more than 20 long-distance trains stranded across various stations in Mumbai and south Gujarat, as tracks remained submerged.

More than 40 services were impacted, with at least eight trains rescheduled, 10 cancelled, and several others diverted or short-terminated due to heavy rain, waterlogging and a landslide, a WR spokesperson said.

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Railway authorities scrambled to assist stranded passengers and worked to restore connectivity on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad trunk route. According to WR officials, train services were severely hampered between the Vasai Road-Virar and Saphale-Palghar sections.

Some of the affected long-distance trains included the Bandra Terminus-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express, the Mumbai Central-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express, the Dadar-Porbandar Saurashtra Express, Bandra Terminus-Chandigarh Express, Bandra Terminus-Hisar Express, Bandra Terminus-Amritsar Express, Bandra Terminus-Bikaner Express, and Bandra Terminus-Veraval Express.

Suburban services hit as well

Incoming services from cities such as Ahmedabad, Jodhpur, and Bhuj were halted at stations like Vapi and Surat to prevent further congestion on the flooded network.

In response to the emergency, WR, supported by local NGOs, distributed food packets, water, and refreshments to stranded commuters.

Suburban services on the network were also affected, with trains between Borivali and Churchgate running 15-20 minutes late, while the Virar-Dahanu section faced the most severe disruptions.

Railway authorities have strongly advised passengers to verify the latest status of their trains before heading to stations as restoration efforts continue.

Flights diverted

Five flights arriving at the Mumbai airport were diverted to other facilities till 3.30pm on Monday.

In a statement, the Mumbai International Airport said IndiGo flights 6E 595 (Raipur-Mumbai) and 6E 1340 (Singapore-Mumbai) were diverted to Hyderabad, while Akasa Air QP 1110 (Delhi-Mumbai) was diverted to Ahmedabad.

Air India’s AI 2772 (Kolkata-Mumbai) and Oman Air’s WY 203 (Muscat-Mumbai) were diverted to Bengaluru and Vadodara airports, respectively, the private airport operator said in the statement.

Work-from-home advised

The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) on Monday advised private offices in Mumbai to allow employees to work from home and announced a half-day for non-essential and semi-government offices in view of the heavy rains, officials said.

Authorities also urged people to avoid unnecessary travel, remain indoors unless essential, and follow official advisories as heavy rain continued to affect normal life in Mumbai and adjoining areas.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) also appealed to residents to avoid venturing out for non-essential work and to maintain a safe distance from trees, dilapidated buildings, hoardings, electric poles and other vulnerable structures.

It advised people not to park vehicles under trees and to stay away from beaches and waterlogged areas as a precautionary measure.

Devotees warned

The Pune district administration urged Warkaris and devotees to avoid entering Alandi, as the overflowing Indrayani River has submerged all four bridges leading into the temple town ahead of the upcoming palakhi procession of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj.

With thousands of pilgrims expected to reach the town for the July 8 procession, officials have declared the town inaccessible and issued an urgent appeal for those already en route to halt their journeys to ensure their safety amid the flooding.

Devotees have been advised to stay away from the riverbed, ghats and bridges that have been closed due to the flood situation.

Minister’s request

Maharashtra Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan has appealed to people not to step out unless absolutely necessary.

The minister said it would take another three to four days for the rainfall to significantly improve water levels in dams across the state, although the government remained hopeful of good showers in the catchment areas.

Rough sea conditions and squally weather were likely along the Konkan coast. Road, rail, air and ferry services could face disruptions, while essential civic services such as water and electricity supply could also be affected, the IMD said.

Strong winds and heavy rain could damage plantations, horticulture and standing crops, besides causing minor damage to kutcha houses, walls and huts, the MeT office said and also warned of the possibility of cloud-to-ground lightning during thunderstorm activity.

(With agency inputs)