Mumbai, July 7: Maharashtra continued to reel under the impact of torrential rainfall on Tuesday, with heavy showers disrupting normal life across several districts, including Mumbai and Pune.

Authorities declared a holiday for all schools in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and Haveli Taluka, while the Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) advised private offices in Mumbai to allow employees to work from home.

It also announced that non-essential government offices in the financial capital would function for only half a day in view of the prevailing weather conditions.

Several parts of Mumbai remained waterlogged following incessant rainfall over the past three days, leading to traffic congestion and disruptions in daily life. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an Orange Alert for the region, warning of continued heavy rainfall.

Considering the adverse weather conditions, Pune District Collector and Chairperson of the District Disaster Management Authority, Jitendra Dudi, declared a holiday for all primary, secondary, and higher secondary schools located within the Pune Municipal Corporation, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, and Haveli Taluka.

The decision was taken to ensure the safety of students amid continuous heavy rainfall, reports of landslides in the Ghat sections, and the IMD’s weather warning. The holiday applies to Zilla Parishad schools, municipal schools, Ashramshalas (residential schools for tribal students), private aided and unaided institutions, English-medium schools, and all Anganwadi centres.

However, the administration has directed all headmasters, teachers, and non-teaching staff to report to their respective schools during regular office hours and remain available to assist the local administration in disaster management and emergency response activities.

The district administration has also appealed to residents to remain vigilant and venture outdoors only if absolutely necessary until weather conditions improve.

Meanwhile, the continuous downpour has significantly increased the water level of the Bhima River. Authorities said the river’s discharge at Daund has reached 97,700 cusecs, raising concerns about a possible flood-like situation in low-lying areas. The increase in discharge is attributed to the release of large volumes of water from upstream dams following sustained rainfall across Pune district.

In Indapur, heavy rainfall in the Western Ghats has resulted in a massive inflow into the Ujani Dam. Officials said around 1,45,561 cusecs of water is currently flowing towards the reservoir through the Bhima River, causing the river channel to flow at full capacity.

The water storage in the Ujani Dam has witnessed a notable rise over the last 48 hours, with an increase of nearly 4.25 Thousand Million Cubic (TMC). Officials stated that while the dam’s live storage level stood at minus 27.96 per cent on July 5, it has now improved to minus 20.21 per cent due to the continuous inflow of water.

At present, the reservoir holds approximately 52.83 TMC of water, marking a significant improvement in storage levels. Authorities said that if heavy rainfall continues over the Western Ghats in the coming days, the water level in the dam is expected to rise further.

Mumbai and its suburbs have also continued to experience relentless rainfall for the third consecutive day. During the past 48 hours, the city division recorded nearly 300 mm of rainfall, while the eastern suburbs received around 380 mm and the western suburbs recorded approximately 345 mm.

Accompanied by strong winds with speeds ranging between 70 and 80 kmph, the heavy rainfall prompted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to activate its entire emergency response machinery.

The BMC’s Disaster Management Department has been monitoring the situation round the clock, deploying special teams to vulnerable locations to respond promptly to incidents such as tree falls, short circuits, and partial or complete collapses of dilapidated structures.

To minimise flooding, civic authorities have pressed high-capacity dewatering pumps, suction equipment, and additional manpower into service to clear waterlogged roads and restore normalcy as quickly as possible.

The BMC has also convened a Special General Body Meeting for July 9, during which rain-related preparedness, infrastructure challenges, and emergency response measures are expected to be discussed in detail.

Mumbai, July 7: Over the past two days, torrential rains accompanied by strong winds have battered Maharashtra, claiming 13 lives and injuring 10 others. The State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) reported that around 100 houses have been damaged, leaving hundreds of people homeless due to severe flooding.

Data from the last 24 to 48 hours highlights the intensity of the downpour across the coastal and western regions. Lonavala recorded a staggering 625 mm (24.71 inches) of rain in the last 48 hours. Raigad received 236 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, Thane got 161 mm, Ratnagiri clocked 152 mm, Palghar averaged 132 mm and Mumbai registered between 100 mm and 161 mm across various sectors.

Water bodies across the state are overflowing rapidly. The Ulhas, Kalu, and Pinjal rivers have crossed their warning levels. Amba, Savitri, Kundalika, Patalganga, Jagbudi, and Ulhas rivers have breached their danger marks. Consequently, flood alerts have been issued for Badlapur, Mohane, and Jambhulpada.

Tragic incidents were reported from multiple districts as infrastructure buckled under the pressure of the storm.

In Mumbai, six people were killed and one was injured in the Mankhurd area when a building collapsed onto a slum cluster.

Additionally, one person died in the suburbs due to a tree falling. In Thane, two people sustained injuries when a portion of a building collapsed. In Palghar and Sindhudurg, one drowning fatality was reported in each district. High-velocity winds also caused the collapse of 30 houses in Sindhudurg. In Satara, a landslide resulted in one death and left four people injured.

A ‘Red Alert’ has been issued for hill stations including Matheran, Lonavala, Khopoli, and Lohagad due to an imminent threat of landslides caused by continuous heavy rainfall.

Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed to these areas. In the Mawal taluka of Pune district, four citizens were trapped after a landslide hit a house in Patan.

In another incident near Talegaon-Dabhade, a bus carrying 25 passengers got stranded in floodwaters. All passengers were safely rescued by the NDRF.

In the Sudhagad taluka of Raigad district, six members of a family—including a six-month-old infant—were stranded on their roof due to rising floods. Since the roads leading to the village were completely submerged, rescuers used boats to safely evacuate them.

Traffic disruption was reported on major highways due to blockages. On Mumbai-Goa Highway, traffic ground to a halt after a landslide in the Kashedi Ghat. On Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Khopoli Highway, landslides and heavy waterlogging suspended traffic, though authorities managed to restore movement by the afternoon.

The Mawal and Tamhini Ghat was affected heavily by landslides and flooding, prompting traffic to be diverted to alternative routes.

Meanwhile, in stark contrast to the deluge hitting the rest of the state, the Vidarbha region is still awaiting its monsoon spell. Districts including Wardha, Akola, Amravati, Yavatmal, and Chandrapur have recorded no rainfall during this period.

Mumbai, July 7: The Maharashtra Congress will launch a statewide protest from Tuesday against the BJP and the RSS over the alleged theft of donations at the Ayodhya Ram temple.

State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal earlier on Monday said, “Ram devotees have donated millions of rupees, along with gold and silver jewellery, to the Lord Ram Temple in Ayodhya.”

However, he alleged that the donations made by devotees were plundered and also slammed the BJP and the RSS.

“This is not just a robbery of money or donations, but a robbery committed in the name of Shri Ram against the faith of millions of devotees,” the Congress leader said.

He said the Congress party would demand strict punishment for those responsible, alleging that the BJP and the RSS had plundered Lord Ram. He added that the protest would be officially launched on Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the historic Kalaram Temple in Nashik. Following the launch, a statewide ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’ Satyagraha will be organised across all districts from July 9 to July 14. The Satyagraha will be held at local Ram, Shiva or Hanuman temples at the district headquarters, Sapkal said.

During the protest, Sapkal stated that prayers would be offered to the deity to “grant sanity and good sense to the deceptive people who have pocketed money in the name of Maryada Purushottam Lord Ram”.

The Congress party’s announcement comes a day after the Shiv Sena (UBT) launched a statewide “Ram Raksha Andolan” on July 5, protesting alleged large-scale financial irregularities and the embezzlement of donations at the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya.

Party chief Uddhav Thackeray kicked off the agitation at the historic Hanuman Temple in Dadar, Mumbai, where he led a Ram Raksha Maha Aarti alongside party workers and a group of sadhus visiting from Ayodhya.

The protest centred around the simultaneous chanting of the Ram Raksha Stotra and the Hanuman Chalisa, which the party intends to replicate across various districts.

Prominent UBT spokespersons and leaders demanded the immediate dissolution of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, asserting that standard administrative accountability must be enforced over holy funds. Uddhav Thackeray and MP Sanjay Raut mounted a fierce offensive against the ruling party.

Raut levelled specific accusations, claiming that, beyond cash, valuable gold ornaments, a golden Ramcharitmanas and a gold mangalsutra offered by devotees to Mother Sita had gone missing.

Thackeray reminded the public of the Shiv Sena’s history in the original Ram Janmabhoomi movement, stating, “We are staunch and patriotic Hindus. Hindus are innocent, but they are not fools. If someone loots a temple by taking advantage of our faith, Hindus won’t forgive.”