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Over 30 tourists found themselves stranded, reaching out for help as gushing floodwaters on the steps of Raigad Fort in Maharashtra stunned them on Monday morning.
A video, taken by a tourist, surfaced on social media showing people on either side of the stairway leading to the fort, gripping the slippery stone and holding onto the metal divider as a gushing stream of muddy floodwater tore down below.
Watch the video here:
In response to the severe weather, authorities have decided to close Raigad Fort to tourists starting from July 8. The Chitta Darwaza and Nane Darwaza routes leading to the fort have been barricaded, and police personnel have been deployed to enforce the closures. The ropeway administration has also suspended operations to ensure the safety of visitors.
“Due to ongoing heavy rains in Raigad district today, Raigad Fort has been closed for tourists since July 8. The Chitta Darwaza and Nane Darwaza roads leading to Raigad Fort have been closed by barricading and police arrangements have been made,” said Raigad Collector and DM Kishan N. Jawale in a post on X.
Efforts are currently underway to evacuate the stranded tourists via the ropeway under close supervision of the authorities.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring Mumbai, anticipating severe waterlogging in various parts of the city due to incessant rain, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed its teams. The Met Department has predicted a light to moderate spell of rainfall likely over Mumbai during the next three hours. The NDRF teams have been deployed in Thane, Vasai (Palghar), Mahad (Raigad), Chiplun (Ratnagiri), Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Ghatkopar, Kurla, and Sindhudurg.
NDRF said it has also deployed three regular teams at Andheri and one team at Nagpur. The action came to "avert any untoward incident and give an appropriate response in case of any flood-like situation."
Western Railway, in a statement, said that suburban trains are running up to 10 minutes late as water is above track level between Matunga Road and Dadar due to heavy rains. It said that high-capacity water pumps are being used to drain water away from the railway tracks. Traffic was reported to have slowed down on the Western Express Highway near Vile Parle following heavy rains.
Mumbai city recorded over 300 mm of rainfall at various places in six hours from 1 am to 7 am today, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Some trains were also cancelled following heavy rains, according to the Central Railways. The civic body also said that the entire machinery of the BMC is working in the field and requested Mumbaikars not to believe in rumours. Heavy rains in some low-lying areas led to waterlogging and disruption of suburban train services, said the civic body.
Water-logging was reported from Worli, Buntara Bhavan in Kurla East, King's Circle area of Mumbai, Dadar, and Vidyavihar Railway Station. At King's Circle in rain-hit Mumbai, a commuter said, "My car is stuck on the road. There is no point in blaming the government for the rains. The government is doing its job." Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) said that many of its buses were diverted due to waterlogging.
