Kharghar: In order to prevent drowning and other fatal incidents, the Kharghar police have imposed Section 144 of CrPC, prohibiting tourists from visiting Pandavkada waterfall in Kharghar. Even Kharghar police have put up a notice board outside the Pandavkada, prohibiting people from entering the dam area. Police personnel have been deputed at Pandavkada waterfall in Kharghar to prevent revellers from entering during the monsoon. Kharghar police station informed two police personnel at the waterfall to ensure that people do not venture inside the waterfall.
Thursday being a holiday, more than 110 people who had entered the area were brought outside by the police personnel, a police official from Kharghar police station said.
The Pandavkada waterfall is popular among trekkers during the monsoon and a large number of revellers visit the hill area. People from Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and Kalyan come to the waterfall during the monsoon to enjoy the waterfalls. During the weekend, the waterfall witnesses huge footfalls. However, the waterfall has been banned for the last five years, as in the past, cases of drowning have been reported.
Accidental death in the waterfall
According to an official from the Forest Department of Panvel Range, the falls was closed to the public even during the pandemic. However, in June 2021, a 21-year-old Govandi resident died after he ventured into deep water in the falls despite a ban. Due to frequent accidents, the Forest department has decided to close the falls to the common public.
A range forest officer (RFO) from Panvel said, “Pandavkada waterfall does not have proper infrastructure. So, visitors have to climb the hillocks and cross the stream to reach the main area. All the streams, however, overflow during monsoon. This leads to accidents while crossing them.”
According to police, if it rains heavily, there is a sudden rise in the level of water in the Pandavkada waterfall and the chance of drowning rises.
