68 stranded at swollen waterfall saved

As many 68 persons stranded near a swollen waterfall at Chincholi in Vasai taluka of Palghar district were rescued by personnel from various agencies, even as torrential rains battered Mumbai and the adjoining districts of Thane, Palghar and Raigad in coastal Konkan region, disrupting normal life for the second day during the current week.

On a day when rain-related mishaps were reports from different pars of the metropolis, a 40-year old woman –identified as one Usha Sawant--was electrocuted, while her five-year old daughter Kumari was injured in a short-circuit at Mankhurd in north-east Mumbai.

After reports reached Palghar that more than 75 persons were stranded at the Chincholi waterfalls in Vasai taluka, the district administration embarked upon a massive rescue operation which was continuing till late in the evening.

“Initially, local fire brigade personnel and revenue department officials rescued a maximum number of persons from among those stranded. At one stage, we requisitioned the help of Indian Air Force (IAF) to rescue five persons who were struck atop trees. An IAF helicopter airlifted them safely,”  Palghar District Collector Prashant Narnaware t4old “The Pioneer” in the evening.

Dr Narnaware, who was personally supervising the rescue operations, said:

“Another 8 to 10 persons are still stranded at the Chincholi waterfalls.  We have established communication with them. Since the area is remote and the water levels are very high there, we have requisitioned the help of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). The NDRF personnel are already on the spot. The rescue operation is on”.

The suburban services on the mainline of the Central Railway bore the maximum brunt of the heavy rains that lashed the city and its suburbs incessantly since Friday night. What made matters difficult was the fact that three signal poles fell down in the rains. 

While its suburban train services ran behind the schedule, the Central Railway cancelled three trains Mumbai-bound Deccan Express leaving Pune on Saturday, Pune-bound leaving Mumbai on Sunday and and Karjat-Pune-Karjat Passenger  scheduled for operation Sunday.

The Central Railway diverted  Bhusaval-Pune Express leaving on Sunday via Manmad-Daund and Pune-Bhusaval Express leaving on Sunday via Daund-Manmad.

However, the Western Railway operated its suburban and long distances trains normally.

Heavy water logging was reported from Mumbai’s satellite towns of  Palghar, Boisar, Dahanu, Saphale, Virar, Vasai, Kalyan, Ambernath, Badlapur,  Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar, Karjat and Pali where the road traffic was badly affected.

Landslides and tree falls caused by the heavy rains blocked the busy Mumbai-Goa Highway more than three hours resulting in massive traffic jams for distances lasting for several kilometres.

Reports reaching the state headquarters said that many big and small rivers in western and in coastal Konkan region,  including the Savitri river,  were in spate with overflowing water inundating the surrounding villages.

The picturesque hill stations of Matheran in Raigad district and Mahabaleshwar in Satara district and Khandala in Pune district received very heavy rains, while more than 10,000 people made beeline to  the Bhushi Dam located in neighbouring twin-hill station of Lonavala which received 160 mm rains.

Matheran and Karjart in Raigad received around 190 mm and 150 mm respectively, while the hill stations of Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani 160 mm, the gateway places like in Thane district and Wada in Palghar district received 220 mm and 230 mm of rain respectively.

Meanwhile,  the Regional Meteorological Centre of IMD has forecast “heavy to very heavy rains” in Mumbai and adjoining districts over the next 24 to 48 hours.

Heavy rains are expected in cities and tows like Nagpur, Aurangabad, Nanded, Akola, Wardha and Chandrapur.