Mumbai marooned: All roads out of city hit by rain, landslides

ROad connectivity betwixt bombay and the repose of the rural area was brought to a nigh standstill on Monday as relentless rain, landslides and waterlogging shut all four highways linking the financial capital to key cities for varying periods from late Sunday night. Track the Mumbai rains live hereThe Mumbai-Pune and Mumbai-Goa highways bore the brunt, stranding commuters, truckers and other travellers for several hours. Both highways along the Mumbai-Pune route were severely compromised even as the new Connecting Link on the high-speed expressway, described as an “engineering marvel” by the chief minister, buckled under the pressure.Heavy rain also caused traffic to stall on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Mumbai-Nashik routes, although conditions eased by afternoon.Here’s the ground report till late on Monday night:Mumbai-Pune RoutePUNE: Travel between Mumbai and Pune came to a near-halt on Monday, with both road and rail routes severely disrupted for several hours. Both highways, the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the older NH-4, were partially closed for extended periods, while there were significant rail disruptions due to landslides.The new Connecting Link, hailed as an “engineering marvel” and an “iconic project”, also succumbed to the weather. Videos circulating online showed muddy rainwater cascading at the mouth of the Khandala exit on the Pune-Mumbai lane, forcing its closure. All three lanes of the Pune-bound lane were opened to traffic after a few hours.A portion of a cement-concrete block at the tunnel’s mouth also came crashing down. An official with the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which built the Connecting Link, claimed the block was part of a wall meant to keep water out of the tunnel.Inaugurated by chief minister Devandra Fadnavis only a month ago, the Connecting Link bypasses Lonavala on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, shaving 30 minutes off the Mumbai-Pune commute. It was pitched as the solution to snarls on the expressway, the high-speed corridor inaugurated in April 2002, an engineering feat in its time.ALSO READ | Mumbai schools, colleges to remain closed today amid orange alert for rainFadnavis said in the afternoon, “There is no damage to tunnels and the cable-stayed bridge. Nearly 100 tonnes of debris had accumulated at the landslide site. Around 70 tonnes has been cleared and the remaining debris is being removed rapidly.”By 10:00pm on Monday night, two lanes on Pune-Mumbai corridor had been opened to traffic. Meanwhile, the old Mumbai-Pune Highway (NH-4) too was closed in the morning due to landslides. The Pune-bound carriageway reopened in the afternoon, while the Mumbai-bound carriageway opened later. Traffic movement was yet to normalise late on Monday night.The Mumbai-Pune Expressway too was partially shut on Monday. Minor landslides and waterlogging slowed traffic on the Borghat section in many places. Three lanes on the Mumbai-Pune section were reopened after being closed for at least six hours, while the Pune-Mumbai stretch reopened by 10:10 pm on Monday.These disruptions saw vehicles in gridlock that stretched several kilometres in both directions on the expressway in the morning. Waterlogging near Wakad, the Urse food mall, Khalapur food mall and other low-lying sections further slowed traffic, while poor visibility and minor landslides at the Borghat section compounded the situation.The disruptions also affected key alternative routes through Maval and Tamhini Ghat, where overflowing streams and floods made travel risky.Mumbai-Goa HighwayMUMBAI: The Mumbai-Goa National Highway was hit by partial closures on Monday, the worst-hit stretch being Kashedi Ghat. A major landslide blocked the highway here, halting traffic movement in both directions.The landslide, which took place at 2.30am near the Kashedi tunnel, stalled trucks, state transport buses and private vehicles for hours. A family of three living close to the landslide site was shifted to safer ground.After several hours, authorities opened the highway to one-way traffic. Officials said complete restoration would take longer.ALSO READ | Launched in May, partly shut after landslide: All about 'Missing Link' connecting Mumbai and PuneElsewhere along the highway, waterlogging was reported near Sukeli Pass, while several roads in Roha and Mangaon were flooded. The Tamhini Ghat section was closed after a portion of the road collapsed. Further along, near Parshuram Ghat in Chiplun, the soil beneath a newly constructed retaining wall was washed away.Commuters stranded on the highway said they had no information about road closures or alternative routes. Sandesh Sasane, 43, travelling from Savarde in Ratnagir ito Mumbai, said his ordeal lasted 11 hours. “I started our early morning but was stuck at Parshuram Ghat, then stranded at Kashedi due to the landslide. I switched routes, towards Mandangad but the road there was flooded. I finally reached Mumbai at 6:15pm,” he said.Alternative routes for sections of the highway too were blocked. The Varandha Ghat section on the Pune-Mahad route was closed due to landslides. In Mandangad in Raigad district, barges drifted in floodwaters and got lodged near the Mhapral–Ambet bridge. Since the bridge may be at risk, traffic on the Mandangad–Mhapral–Goregaon–Mangaon route has been temporarily suspended. Mumbai-Ahmedabad HighwaySections of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway were shut for varying periods on Monday morning as they remained under 3 three feet of water in areas such as Vasai-Virar and Dhekale near Palghar. As it turned out, several water outlets were blocked, preventing rainwater from draining. Waterlogging caused vehicles to stall for a couple of hours along the 2.5-km stretch from Dhekale to Varai Naka in Palghar. A luxury car was stuck in 4 feet of water.Blaming locals, Suhas Chitnis, project director, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), said, “Traffic on the highway was largely unaffected except for an incident at Dhekale. Locals had blocked the drains, resulting in waterlogging and traffic disruption for a few hours. Traffic movement returned to normal by afternoon.”Waterlogging also stranded commuters near Golden Chariot hotel on the highway near Vasai. Traffic jams also extended from the Fountain Hotel junction to Thane’s Ghodbandar area.Mumbai-Nashik HighwayThe Mumbai-Nashik Highway fared better, with no closures, although waterlogging slowed traffic near Bhiwandi, particularly at Mankoli and Ranjnoli. Delays of up to 30 minutes were reported on these stretches, with the movement of heavy vehicles compounding the congestion.