Heavy rains flood Mumbai-Goa highway; traffic disrupted

Mumbai, Jul 6 (PTI) Heavy rainfall in Maharashtra’s Raigad district led to severe waterlogging on the busy Mumbai-Goa highway, bringing traffic to a standstill for a few hours and leaving thousands of commuters stranded, officials said on Monday.

Floodwater accumulated on the highway at Sukeli Ghat near Nagothane, where water levels rose to nearly three feet, preventing the movement of vehicles on Sunday.

The inundation led to long queues of vehicles, stretching 8 to 10 km on both sides of the highway on Sunday. Traffic movement started on Monday, but was slow as continuous rainfall since Saturday night triggered a flood-like situation on the Nagothane-Wakan stretch.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a ‘red’ alert for Raigad district

for the next two days as heavy rainfall is expected to continue.

Police said traffic on the highway was suspended for a few hours on Sunday due to waterlogging within the limits of Sukeli village, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. With nightfall, concern among commuters increased as they awaited the restoration of traffic movement.

The Wakan-Pali road was also closed due to flooding. Authorities diverted traffic bound for Pune via Mangaon and Nizampur through the Tamhini Ghat, from where vehicles were routed towards Mumbai, as per officials.

The prolonged disruption caused inconvenience to motorists and passengers, many of whom were already grappling with poor road conditions and ongoing construction work along the Mumbai-Goa Highway.

Motorists also complained of waterlogging at several locations on the highway, including stretches near Mangaon and Karnala Ghat, alleging that inadequate drainage infrastructure was responsible for the recurring flooding. PTI ZA GK