Maharashtra: Massive landslide blocks access to Rajmachi Fort in Lonavala, clearance operations underway
Pune, July 5
A massive landslide on the road leading to Rajmachi Fort completely blocked vehicular movement in Lonavala on Sunday. Earth movers were deployed to carry out the debris clearance operations, traffic and local police said.
This came as Maharashtra witnessed a strong morning spell of rain lashing several parts of the state amid the 'Red Alert' issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) today.
The IMD also forecasted a "generally cloudy sky with moderate rain" to continue across the district till 10th July in Tehsil Mawal in Maharashtra's Pune district.
The Pawana River in the Ravet locality of Pimpri-Chinchwad was gushing as the area received heavy rainfall.
Meanwhile, the Kondhwa area of Pune felt relief as local markets carried a vibrant hue in the light rain
While Mumbai's Worli area witnesses an overcast morning, mist covered the area around Marine Drive amid the downpour.
Earlier, a balcony of a dilapidated building in Belapur village, Navi Mumbai, collapsed amid continuous heavy rainfall. It is reported that the building was in a severely dilapidated state.
Several parts of Thane city witnessed waterlogging.
Meanwhile, Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Vineet Abhishek said that operations continued despite the Western Railway suburban network recording staggering precipitation levels exceeding 250 mm since Saturday night, while some regions witnessed rainfall in the range of 150 to 200 cm.
"As we have been seeing since last night, and especially today early morning and particularly during the time when it was high tide it was also raining heavily and in some pockets of Western Railway Suburban section we saw rainfall in excess of almost 250 mm and in certain sections we also had rainfall in the range of 150 to 200 mm. There was heavy rainfall throughout our section, however this did not impact our train operations and our local train operations and long distance train operations, it continued uninterrupted without any issues," he said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Honestly, I'm more worried about those old buildings in Navi Mumbai. A balcony collapsing? That's a tragedy waiting to happen. 😟 The rain is beautiful but our infrastructure can't handle it. Maharashtra government needs to wake up and inspect dilapidated structures before the monsoon starts. Thane waterlogging is also a yearly headache - local trains were delayed yesterday!
Good to see Western Railway keeping operations running despite 250mm+ rainfall. That's impressive management! 👏 But why does the Pawana River always flood near Ravet? Our urban planning in Pimpri-Chinchwad is a joke. Build, build, build without drainage systems and then wonder why rivers overflow. At least the Marine Drive mist looks dreamy in photos! 🌊
I moved to Pune from the US three years ago and monsoons here still amaze me. But the landslide at Rajmachi Fort shows how vulnerable hill roads are. In California, they'd close the entire area with warning signs. Hope everyone stays safe - the red alert from IMD should be taken seriously. Beautiful country but climate change is making these events more frequent.
Every year same story - landslides, waterlogging, building collapses. 😑 The IMD gave red alert but do people listen? No. They still go trekking to Rajmachi or visit Lonavala in this weather. And the Kondhwa market pictures looking colorful in rain? That's just privilege - many low-lying areas are flooded. We need to balance tourism with safety commonsense.
Hats off to Western Railway team
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