Maha: Monsoon havoc leaves 13 dead as red alert sounded for hill stations

Torrential rain and strong winds have wreaked havoc across Maharashtra over the past two days, leaving at least 13 people dead, 10 injured and hundreds displaced, as floodwaters, landslides and building collapses disrupted daily life across large parts of the state.

The State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) said around 100 houses had been damaged in rain-related incidents, while severe flooding had forced people from their homes in several districts. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Tuesday in the ghat areas of Nashik and Pune as well as Palghar and Raigad districts, while also warning of an elevated landslide risk in hill stations such as Matheran, Lonavala, Khopoli and Lohagad.

The latest spell has been particularly intense across Maharashtra’s coastal belt and western districts. Lonavala recorded 625 mm of rainfall over the last 48 hours, while Raigad received 236 mm in the last 24 hours. Thane recorded 161 mm, Ratnagiri 152 mm, Palghar 132 mm, and Mumbai between 100 mm and 161 mm across different areas.

Authorities said rivers and water bodies across the state were swelling rapidly. The Ulhas, Kalu and Pinjal rivers had crossed warning levels, while the Amba, Savitri, Kundalika, Patalganga, Jagbudi and Ulhas rivers were flowing above danger marks, prompting flood alerts in Badlapur, Mohane and Jambhulpada.

The worst loss of life was reported from Mumbai, where six people were killed and one injured after a building collapsed on a slum cluster in Mankhurd. Another person died in the city’s suburbs after being struck by a falling tree. In Thane, two people were injured in a building collapse, while one drowning death each was reported from Palghar and Sindhudurg. In Satara, a landslide killed one person and injured four others.

Pune district was among the worst affected by landslides. In Maval taluka, three members of a family were killed after a landslide struck a house in Patan village, while another person was reported trapped in the debris. Multiple landslides were reported in the Karjat-Lonavala ghat section and surrounding areas, adding to the region’s rain toll and disruption.

Rescue operations were stepped up in several districts as roads, rail lines and villages were cut off by flooding. In Sudhagad taluka of Raigad district, six members of a family, including a six-month-old infant, had to be rescued by boat after rising floodwaters stranded them on the roof of their house. Near Talegaon-Dabhade in Pune district, a bus carrying 25 passengers was caught in floodwaters, though all were rescued safely by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

Two NDRF teams have been deployed in landslide-prone hill areas as authorities monitor the risk of fresh slips. In Sindhudurg, strong winds accompanying the rain reportedly damaged 30 houses.

The rain also crippled transport links across the state. In Mumbai, suburban rail services remained delayed on all three corridors, with Western and Central Railway services running around 15 to 20 minutes behind schedule and Harbour line trains delayed by 10 to 15 minutes. Waterlogging continued to affect the Vasai-Virar section, leading to cancellations and operational disruption.

On the Mumbai-Pune rail corridor, landslides in the Karjat-Lonavala ghat section severely affected train movement over the last two days. Central Railway said 27 trains were cancelled, 57 diverted, 19 short-terminated, 15 short-originated and four rescheduled after heavy rain damaged tracks and triggered landslides at multiple locations.

Road traffic was also hit on several key routes. A landslide in Kashedi Ghat brought traffic on the Mumbai-Goa Highway to a halt, while landslides and waterlogging disrupted movement on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the Khopoli Highway before traffic was restored later in the day. Flooding and landslides also affected traffic through Maval and Tamhini Ghat, forcing diversions.

In Palghar, among the worst-hit districts, intense rainfall lashed Vasai-Virar, Saphale, Kelve, Palghar, Boisar, Manor and Wada, causing rivers and streams to overflow and inundate homes. The Tansa river at Khanivde touched the danger mark, while flooding in the Vaitarna near Manor submerged roads and entered nearby villages. Traffic on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway was disrupted near Dhekale after mudslides and rainwater cascading down nearby hills submerged stretches of the carriageway.

With the IMD’s orange and red alerts in place, district administrations declared a holiday for schools and colleges in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Bhiwandi, Nashik and rural parts of Pune as a precaution against flooding and transport disruption.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, after reviewing the situation, warned of the possibility of a cloudburst in Nashik and said action would be taken against offices or establishments that forced employees to report to work despite weather warnings and official advisories.

Even as western Maharashtra and the Konkan reeled under torrential rain, parts of Vidarbha remained largely dry, with districts such as Wardha, Akola, Amravati, Yavatmal and Chandrapur still awaiting significant monsoon showers.

With more heavy rain forecast and rivers already in spate, authorities remain on alert for further flooding, landslides and transport disruption across Maharashtra.

With IANS inputs