Relentless rain and a string of landslides have brought life to a halt across Mumbai, Pune and the surrounding region, cutting off road and rail links between the two cities. Authorities have asked people not to travel between Pune and Mumbai until conditions improve, Mumbai University has postponed all its examinations scheduled for the day, and a building collapse in the Mankhurd area of Mumbai has claimed 6 lives.
Mumbai University exams postponed
With more heavy rain expected, Mumbai University decided to cancel every examination scheduled for 6 July, the day this disruption unfolded. The papers due today included LLM, MSc and M.Com examinations. The university has said a new date will be announced soon so that students are not left in the dark for long.
Pune-Mumbai Expressway and the old highway come to a standstill
Continuous rainfall and the landslides it triggered have badly hit both the Pune-Mumbai Expressway and the older Mumbai-Pune highway. The situation deteriorated to the point where traffic in both directions, Pune to Mumbai and Mumbai to Pune, was halted entirely until further notice. Authorities have directly appealed to citizens to avoid planning any travel between Pune and Mumbai for now.
A landslide near the exit of Tunnel No. 2 on the Missing Link stretch between Khopoli and Kusgaon forced traffic on the Pune-to-Mumbai lane to be diverted onto another route. Separately, a concrete pillar collapsed between the expressway's Connecting Link and Missing Link sections, blocking that stretch completely. Near the Khandala exit, another major landslide occurred, forcing the Mumbai-bound lane to be shut entirely; early reports suggest no casualties from this incident, and work to reopen the road is underway on a war footing.
Flood-like conditions have also developed on parts of the Tamhini Ghat and Mawal areas, affecting even the alternate routes that commuters use between Pune and Mumbai. Kolhapur Range IGP Ranjan Kumar Sharma has appealed to citizens to defer any travel between the two cities. Heavy waterlogging has also been reported in the Paud Road area of Pune because of the continuing rain.
Landslides in the Bhor Ghat section halt train services
Rail traffic has taken as hard a hit as the roads. Central Railway said that after landslides at multiple spots in the Bhor Ghat section, train services between Mumbai and Pune have been suspended entirely as a precaution until further notice. A landslide has also occurred at Tunnel No. 40, also known as BB EMD, on the Mumbai-Pune railway line. Railway authorities are working to clear the debris, with the entire machinery mobilised to restore the route as quickly as possible.
A landslide in the Karjat-Lonavala Ghat section forced Central Railway to cancel several trains, while some others were diverted to alternate routes. The railway has urged passengers to check the latest status of their trains before setting out.
Track ballast washed away between Karjat and Khopoli
Heavy rain and the resulting rush of water washed away the ballast beneath the tracks between Karjat and Khopoli, forcing train services on that stretch to be suspended too. Alert railway staff spotted the fault in time, and resources are now being mobilised to restore services on this section.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw personally reviewed the situation caused by the heavy landslides and rockfall on tracks in the Mumbai-Pune ghat section. He said the restoration team is fully prepared, even though heavy rain is expected again today. He added that he has asked officials of both Western Railway and Central Railway to work together as one team so that all train services can be restored at the earliest.
Despite all this disruption, local trains on all four Central Railway corridors continued to run normally. Trains on the main line were running 6 to 8 minutes behind schedule, while the Harbour Line saw a delay of about 4 minutes. The Trans-Harbour and Uran-Belapur lines, however, were running on time.
Building collapse in Mankhurd kills 6
Late last night, a three-storey building came crashing down on Lane No. 5 of Janata Nagar in Mumbai's Mankhurd area. The collapse killed 6 people. Authorities are continuing efforts to clear the debris at the site.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed deep grief over the deaths and paid tribute to the victims. He said the government stands with the grieving families in this difficult time, and announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of each person who died.
Mumbai's 125-year-old dabbawala service also shuts down today
Mumbai's iconic dabbawala service will remain completely suspended today, 6 July. Uddhav Muke, president of the dabbawala organisation, said heavy rain in the Virar-Vasai belt has flooded the homes of several dabbawalas, and waterlogging has also been reported at multiple railway stations. Several trains on Western Railway were running late as well, which threatened to disrupt the service further.
Muke said the safety of the dabbawalas matters more than preserving an unbroken 125-year-old tradition, and the organisation has therefore decided to suspend the service entirely today as a precaution. It has apologised to customers for the inconvenience this will cause.
Landslide in Paatan village traps a family
In the early hours of Monday, a landslide struck a house in Paatan, a small and remote village in Pune's Maval taluka, located near Lohagad Fort. Initial information suggests the entire family living in that house may be trapped under the debris. Local authorities launched a rescue operation immediately.
Given the seriousness of the incident, help was sought from the NDRF's 5th Battalion based in Pune. A 30-member team, comprising 1 officer, 2 senior officers and 27 personnel, led by Inspector Ravinder and supervised by Assistant Commandant Chandraketu Sharma, left for the site at 5:50 am carrying the necessary disaster-management equipment. According to the Pune District Information Office, the rescue operation is still underway, and no casualties have been officially confirmed so far.
High tide warning and a fallen hoarding
A high tide warning has been issued for the sea off Mumbai at 3:50 pm today, with waves expected to rise to nearly 12 feet. People have been urged to stay away from the shoreline during this period.
Separately, in Thane, a large iron hoarding collapsed onto the road in front of the Subhash Nagar bus stop near Pokhran No. 2 amid heavy rain and strong winds. Fortunately, there were no reports of any casualties in this incident.
Schools and colleges shut, administration on alert
Given the heavy rain, schools and colleges in Mira-Bhayandar, adjoining Mumbai, have declared a holiday today. In Raigad district too, some areas have announced holidays while others have shifted to online classes depending on local conditions.
The administration is monitoring the situation continuously and has repeated its appeal that people step out or travel only when absolutely necessary.
