Heavy Rains Cause Landslides Across Maharashtra; Many Roads and Areas Including Sinhagad Fort Temporarily Closed

The rains in Maharashtra may have started late but from the current fury of the weather, it looks as if the weather is intent on compensating for the delay by unleashing a downpour across the state. Landslides and flash floods have been reported from several areas, prompting authorities to close roads and forts besides issuing advisories.

One such incident occurred at Sinhagad Fort in Pune. A landslide stuck the stone staircase near the entry to the fort. Although no injuries were reported, the authorities temporarily closed the fort and appealed to citizens to avoid the area due to risk of further landslides as the heavy rain continues.

Another incident of landslide occurred on the Kusgaon ghat road between Khed Shivapur and Rajgad Taluka. The mud and the rocks blocked the road and held up traffic for hours together until the Public Works Department got to know from the local residents and deployed excavators to clear the debris and restore traffic.

In the Varandha ghat section, a landslide was reported near Shirgaon. Highway officials instructed the contractors to immediately remove the debris. A road-widening work is also going on and due to persistent heavy rains, the authorities have temporarily closed the Pune-bound traffic on the Varandha ghat stretch as a precautionary measure.

The Ratnagiri-Nagpur highway in Ratnagiri district was also affected by heavy rains. A landslide was reported to have occurred between Dakkan and Kalkadara in Sangameshwar taluka. A protective wall prevented the debris to fall on the road but still small rocks managed to fall on the active road, posing a great danger to motorists plying on that road. As a precautionary measure, the hill side of the highway has been closed to traffic.

Yet another landslide was reported from Wai-Panchgani Road, Pasarni ghat in Satara, disrupting traffic.

Alerts from Indian Meteorological Department signal more rain in the coming days and authorities are advising residents to avoid venturing into hilly areas and near the water bodies to avoid the risk of injury from falling rocks, landslides and flash floods.