Rain turns state’s popular hill stations into rivers

MUMBAI: Head for the hills in the rain with caution as driving to monsoon getaways like Mahabaleshwar, Lavasa in Mulshi and Sinhagad fort may be a damp squib. Incessant rainfall in Pune and its surrounding regions has caused mudslides, water-logging, shut down roads and valley view points at many of these popular tourist spots.
Tourist traffic to Mahabaleshwar, the hill station 230 km from Mumbai has been hit by the incessant rains.Due to very heavy rainfall, the local administration as a precautionary measure has decided to close six popular tourist spots in and around Mahabaleshwar for tourists till further notice. Mahabaleshwar tehsildar Ramesh Shendge issued the order on Thursday to avoid a mishap. “Mahabaleshwar has been experiencing a downpour over the past few days. Certain roads are flooded with rainwater making them unsafe. There have also been instances of landslides, mudslides and trees falling. As a precautionary measure, six tourist points around Mahabaleshwar will remain closed till further notice.” The road to Mahabaleshwar will remain open, he added.
The points closed to tourists include Arthur point, Elphinstone point, Savitri point, Lingmala waterfall, Ludwik point, and Kate’s point. Mahabaleshwar recorded 410mm rainfall on Tuesday, the second highest since 2008 when it received 490mm rainfall in a day. Rainfall between Tuesday to Thursday alone was 1,154.8mm, according to data from Skymet. Mahabaleshwar received 1,161mm of rain between August 1 and 4, about 65% of the average 1,778mm it gets in the month.
For one, Mapro Gardens, a priority on most Mahabaleshwar itineraries, has been less crowded in the last few days. “We generally get close to 15,000 visitors a day during weekends, but last weekend the number dropped to 12,000,” said Pravin Malusare of Mapro. “During weekdays too, the numbers dropped from 2,000 visitors to about 1,500,” he said, adding a number of tourists from Pune and Mumbai were braving the rains to visit their chocolate factory and orchid gardens.
Hotels in and around Mahabaleshwar too have seen a dip in enquiries and a few cancellations. “We have been receiving a lot of enquiries about the weather and if there are any roadblocks,” said a four-star hotel official, requesting anonymity. The four star resort and spa, which gets a majority of its bookings from Mumbai and Pune saw a dip in enquiries along with a few cancellations in the last one week. “It’s a five-hour drive from Mumbai and three hours from Pune. But people were worried about roadblocks. No one wants to spend their short weekend trapped in a traffic jam,” the official added.
On travel portals, the fall in demand reflected in comparatively lower tariffs. For instance, on Thursday afternoon, a four-star accommodation for this weekend was available at about Rs 8,000. “Even during the monsoon, four-star hotel rooms normally cost upwards of Rs 10,000 if booked only 24 hours in advance,” said an official from a resort.
On a travel site, a Navi Mumbai resident had put out a query asking if it was safe to travel to Mahabaleshwar this weekend, would there be a possibility of landslides and would it be possible to enjoy the scenic beauty of the place in this weather.
The approach route to Sinhagad fort, a popular spot for trekkers from Pune, has also been shut. While there have been no untoward incidents reported from here, the road that was closed as a precaution on Wednesday will remain out-of-bounds till Saturday. If the rain and its risks reduce, the route will be reopened, officials said.
Lavasa in Mulshi taluka, another favourite weekend destination for many from the city and Mumbai, witnessed a mudslide on Wednesday on the road stretch between Ekaant Retreat and Dasave inside the Lavasa area. “Lavasa and its adjoining areas have had incessant and heavy rain for the last fortnight leading to minor landslides on the roads leading to the hill city. There has been no damage to life or property. The road blocks are being cleared by Lavasa’s Emergency Response Team,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
However, a handful of tourists visiting during the week were stranded. “I was to leave on Wednesday morning when I encountered the mudslide on the way to Dasave. I was told the route will be cleared by Saturday morning. Although the alternate Panshet route is open, locals advised me it is unsafe. I have to stay here till the shorter route is cleared,” said Mumbai resident Amit Deshmukh, who came to Lavasa on Tuesday.
A flood-like situation arose in Shirdi, following which 22 people from village Dauch Khurd in Kopargaon taluka were rescued on Thursday. These settlements were around the Godavari river, which had begun to swell due to the incessant rainfall.