Mahabaleshwar recorded the highest rainfall in Maharashtra on Saturday with a margin of over 70mm. The roads along the Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani route experienced traffic blocks due to overflowing of water and logging.
The recorded rainfall at Mahabaleshwar was 102mm followed by Satara (38mm) and Nashik (22mm) on Saturday. Pune recorded 12mm of rainfall on Saturday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data.
After considerable showers on July 1, rains had taken a back seat at the hill station.
“The catchment area waterbody has become narrow over the years. The flow of water is now restricted. Therefore, every time the rainfall increases, the waterbody overflows and drowns the roads. The tourists who visit the hill station during the weekends do not park well and it adds to the problems along with the rainfall,” said Sunil Bhatiya, a resident of old Mahabaleshwar area and a member of the Mahabaleshwar trekkers’ group.
Tourist spots like Thoseghar waterfall, Elephant’s head point and Chinaman falls attract massive crowd during the weekends.
“This happens for a short time every time it rains. The water fills the streets and there is a traffic jam close to my hotel. Today, it rained for about an hour and then, the traffic moved past it and the water receded,” said Raju N, owner of Bageeha Hotel
located near the road that is submerged under water annually after rains.
“This happens for a short time every time it rains. The water fills the streets and there is a traffic jam close to my hotel. Today, it rained for about an hour and then, the traffic moved past it and the water receded,” said Raju N, owner of Bageeha Hotel
located near the road that is submerged under water annually after rains.
A major part of Maharashtra witnessed considerable amount of rainfall on Saturday.
The kharif crops like rice, soyabean, groundnut, jowar will now enter the sowing phase, according to experts.