Matheran receives 440 mm rainfall in under 2 days

The tiny hill station of Matheran in Raigad district has received record rainfall of 440 mm over Friday and Saturday.

The hill town of Mahabaleshwar in Satara district received 240 mm rainfall.

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre of the IMD, from Friday to Saturday, ending 1300 hrs, Matheran got 440 mm rainfall. Matheran is located over 100 km away from Mumbai - and no vehicles are allowed in the virgin forest.

Mahabaleshwar, located 285 km from Mumbai, is the source of the Krishna River that flows across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

The Lonavla-Khandala twin hill stations between Mumbai and Pune received 290 mm rainfall, while Igatpuri located between Mumbai and Nashik got 210 mm rainfall.

The Malshej Ghats located between Mumbai and Ahmednagar also got good rainfall. Mahad in Raigad district too received heavy rains, around 200 mm.

These hill stations attract huge crowd over the weekends thronged by revellers, trekkers, nature lovers.

The Maharashtra government has advised people to exercise caution.

Last week, the Bushi dam near Lonavla had started overflowing and six tourists had to be rescued.

The Forest department has asked trekkers and nature enthusiasts of the Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR) to follow safety norms as streams and waterfalls are overflowing.

During monsoon, people go to Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary and Karnala Bird Sanctuary. "In the wake of constant, heavy rains, all streams and rivers flowing through SGNP, Yeoor and Tungareshwar are on a spate.

Advise all to be safe and be well away from any flowing water channels anywhere in the forests. Please be careful and don't do anything irresponsible," SGNP said.

There are a lot of hills, hillocks and forts in the MMR and these are frequented during monsoon, particularly weekends.

It may be mentioned that premier Mumbai-Pune trains like Deccan Express and Pragati Express are cancelled for a fortnight from 26 June-9 August to fix the problem of falling of boulders in the Lonavla-Khandala ghat section.