Pune/Kolhapur: Triple-digit rainfall continued to pound Maharashtra’s Western Ghats on Wednesday, disrupting movement and prompting authorities to restrict access to tourist hotspots, including Mahabaleshwar.Bhira topped the Western Ghats rainfall chart with 574mm in the 24 hours till Wednesday morning, followed by Tamhini (525mm), Dawdi (488mm), Shirgaon (450mm), Dungerwadi (365mm), Ambone (318mm), Khand (288mm), Lonavla (279mm) and Koyna (Navja) (276mm).Torrential rain in the ghat sections of Satara caused multiple landslides and widespread damage. The district administration announced a ban on visit to the popular tourist spots in Mahabaleswar, Wai and Khandala talukas till July 10.Among the popular tourist spots in Mahabaleshwar taluka which will be out of bounds till then are Arthur’s Seat, Kate’s Point, Elephant’s Head Point, Lingmala falls, Wilson Point, Savitri Point and the historical Pratapgad fort. The Dhom dam area in Wai taluka, Menavali Ghat and Krishna River banks will also be shut for tourists.Heavy rain also damaged infrastructure in Pune district. The road embankment at Dongerwadi in Tamhini Ghat was washed away, leading to major subsidence of the road. Authorities have advised motorists to avoid travelling through the Tamhini route.In Junnar and Ambegaon talukas, sub-divisional officer Archana Tambe ordered temporary closure of 13 roads after water flowed over bridges and causeways because of swollen rivers and dam releases. Eight roads in Junnar taluka and five in Ambegaon were shut. The administration has urged people to avoid the closed stretches, use alternate routes and follow official instructions.The administration has also imposed restrictive orders at several tourist destinations in Junnar and Ambegaon following continuous heavy rainfall over the past two to three days. The order covers Amboli Waterfall (Daryaghat), Malshej Ghat, Kanchan waterfall, the Reverse waterfall at Naneghat, Dimbhe Dam, Pokhari Ghat, Bhimashankar, Kondhaval waterfall and the forts of Shivneri, Chavand, Jivdhan, Hadsar, Nimgiri and Ahupe.The MSDMA’s daily incident report said two people were injured after a tree fell in Ratnagiri, one person was injured in a wall collapse in Mumbai suburban. The authorities reported that water levels in several rivers, including the Kundalika, Savitri, Patalganga and the Jagbudi, remained above the “alert” or “danger” marks.Continuous heavy rainfall across Nashik and its upstream catchments on Wednesday caused a sharp rise in the Godavari river, submerging several small temples near Ramkund and Godaghat and bringing the water level up to the chest of the iconic Dutondya Maruti idol, the city’s traditional flood marker.Two houses collapsed at Ahupe village near Malin in Ambegaon taluka on Wednesday morning following a landslide caused by heavy rain. No one was injured in the incident.On Wednesday morning, a team from Shivjanma Bhumi in Junnar rescued a farmer, Sandip Tamboli, trapped in a water-surrounded temple at Vadgaon Sahani village in Junnar taluka, about 88km from Pune. Tamboli had gone to the temple to check his farm equipment when the water level suddenly increased.(With inputs from Santosh Sonawane in Nashik)
