Pune: Extremely heavy rain continued to batter parts of Maharashtra on Tuesday with several locations in the Sahyadri Ghats logging 500-600mm in the past 24 hours. The popular hill station of Mahabaleshwar in Satara district was among the worst affected as it was lashed by cloudburst-like rain, recording 403mm in 24 hours and a staggering 916mm over the past 48 hours.The relentless downpour pushed several rivers above warning and danger levels and claimed two more lives in Maharashtra, taking the toll to 15 in the recent rain. One person died in a landslide in Satara district, while another was killed in a lightning strike in north Maharashtra’s Nandurbar district. The heavy rainfall also triggered a landslide near the Lonavla-Khandala stretch.Parts of Pune received another triple-digit spell on Tuesday. Among Pune observatories, Chinchwad recorded the highest rainfall at 268mm till the morning. In the state, the heaviest rainfall was concentrated over the Western Ghats. Dawdi recorded 688mm in the last 24 hours, followed by Lonavla (620mm) and Tamhini (530mm).In north Maharashtra, traffic on the Mumbai-Nashik section of Mumbai-Agra highway was temporarily disrupted on Tuesday morning after boulders and soil slid onto the road in the Kasara Ghat section following incessant rain in and around Igatpuri taluka.Traffic on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway’s Missing Link (now ‘Connecting Link’) normalised on Tuesday after authorities cleared debris from a rain-triggered landslide near Tunnel 2 that had disrupted connectivity between the two cities a day before. Traffic on the expressway was partially disrupted on Tuesday afternoon following a mudslide near Lonavla. Only one lane was available for Pune-bound vehicles till 5pm.Train connectivity between Pune and Mumbai continued to be affected. More than 20 trains, including all Pune-Mumbai intercity services, were cancelled on Monday, while several others were diverted, short-terminated or short-originated. Fourteen trains, including intercity services, were cancelled on Tuesday, while 13 had been diverted till evening.Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) and Pune Metropolitan Disaster Response Force (PDRF) teams carried out multiple evacuation operations across the district since Monday as heavy rain triggered flooding, waterlogging and landslides. Several rivers continued to flow above critical levels. The Kundalika and Pinjal rivers were above the warning level, while the Amba, Savitri and the Jagbudi rivers were flowing above the danger level.A PMRDA official said rescue teams shifted hundreds of people to safer locations in Lonavla, Maval, Khed, Lohegaon and Loni Kalbhor over the past 24 hours. Among the major rescue operations, two senior citizens stranded in the floodwaters at Green Land Villa in Lonavla were evacuated, while 21 residents trapped at Mount West Crista Society in Karla were rescued using life jackets, life rings and ropes.In Lohegaon, around 12 passengers were evacuated from a bus stranded in the floodwaters at Adarsh Nagar. Rescue teams also shifted around 20 residents and a pet dog from Surya Villa in Malavli, 15 people from Ankit Group Society on Malavli-Boraj Road, and 34 residents from housing complexes in Waksai.PMRDA said search operations were underway for a person reported missing after being swept away at Retwadi in Khed taluka, while the body of a person who drowned at Shelu was recovered. Separate search and rescue operations were in progress in the North Point and Shree Sixty Resort areas of Lonavla following landslides.The authorities advised residents in the low-lying areas to remain alert, avoid entering riverbeds and riverbanks, and follow official advisories as water levels in the Khadakwasla dam catchment continue to rise.(With inputs from Rahul Gayakwad in Kolhapur, Santosh Sonawane in Nashik & Joy Sengupta & Gitesh Shelke in Pune)
