Pune’s ghat region witnessed one of the heaviest monsoon spells this season, with Tamhini recording 575mm of rainfall and Lonavala receiving 418mm in just 24 hours. The torrential downpour forced precautionary evacuations, school closures and disrupted road and rail connectivity, highlighting the mounting strain of extreme weather on urban and rural life in Maharashtra.
According to data shared by the Meteorological Department, several locations across the state reported exceptionally high rainfall. Bhira in Raigad received 568mm, while Davdi and Dongerwadi in Pune recorded over 370mm. Mulshi taluka reported 162mm, prompting local authorities to suspend schools across Velha, Bhor, Maval, Khed and Junnar talukas. Officials confirmed that at least 11 families were shifted to safer shelters in Lavasa due to the risk of landslides.
Emergency response teams also conducted rescues in Ambegaon taluka, where rising water levels stranded five people at a crematorium along the Ghod River. Traffic in Pune city was hampered by the temporary closure of riverside roads and key junctions, while a landslide at Ambade Ghat in Bhor caused further disruption before being cleared by road engineers. The intense spell positioned Madhya Maharashtra as the wettest region in the country mid-week, with districts such as Kolhapur, Nashik and Satara also reporting heavy showers. Mahabaleshwar alone recorded 300mm in 24 hours, while Igatpuri in Nashik and Radhanagari in Kolhapur each reported over 160mm.
The cascading impact was also felt across the Konkan belt. Matheran in Raigad reported 440mm, while Bhiwandi in Thane and Panvel in Raigad received close to 230mm. In Mumbai’s suburban belt, Santacruz logged 210mm, triggering waterlogging alerts. Authorities in Ratnagiri and Sangli districts evacuated nearly 4,200 residents, with over 1,300 alone shifted from Raigad’s flood-prone villages. Water resources officials confirmed a surge in inflow into the Krishna basin, where water discharge towards Almatti dam increased to 2.5 lakh cusecs by Wednesday morning. Multiple rivers including the Jagbudi in Ratnagiri and Panchganga in Kolhapur crossed their danger levels, raising flood threats for low-lying areas.
Experts stressed that such extreme weather events are a reminder of the pressing need for climate-adaptive infrastructure, particularly in rapidly urbanising belts like Pune. They emphasised investment in resilient transport corridors, stronger embankments and sustainable drainage systems to ensure cities can withstand the volatility of monsoon patterns. While relief operations continue across affected regions, the relentless downpour underscores Maharashtra’s growing vulnerability to climate shocks. For residents in the ghats and low-lying districts, the monsoon has once again become a test of resilience against forces far beyond seasonal averages.
