Landslide in Kasara Ghat; forts & waterfalls closed for tourists

Nashik: Vehicular traffic on the Mumbai-Nashik stretch of the Mumbai-Agra highway was disrupted for nearly four hours on Tuesday morning after boulders and soil slid onto the road in the Kasara Ghat section following incessant rainfall in and around Igatpuri taluka.Highway police personnel from the Ghoti Traffic Aid Post rushed to the spot and temporarily closed the route to traffic while debris removal operations were undertaken.Inspector Ram Vhonde, of the Ghoti TAP, said, “The boulders and soil fell onto the road around 8am. We deployed an earth mover to clear the debris off the road, and around noon, the route was thrown open for traffic again.”The police said the impact on traffic was limited as commuter movement on the usually busy highway was lighter than normal due to widespread warnings and reports of heavy rainfall across the state.Amid the continuing rain spell, authorities have intensified precautions at vulnerable locations. Nashik Rural SP D S Swami said, “Our personnel are keeping a close vigil at all locations experiencing heavy rainfall. Considering the high risk of landslides at Bhavadbari Ghat in Deola taluka, it has been closed to traffic for 48 hours starting Monday midnight.”Bhavadbari Ghat, an important link connecting Deola and Satana with Nandurbar and Gujarat, had witnessed a similar landslide about a fortnight ago.

The police said traffic has been diverted through Saundane.The administration has also suspended devotees' access to Saptashrungi Gad for three days due to the heightened risk of landslides in the Nanduri Ghat section. Entry to the Trimbakeshwar temple was temporarily restricted on Tuesday as a precautionary measure.With rainfall intensifying across Nashik district and forecasts warning of extremely heavy rain in isolated areas, the forest department has suspended monsoon tourism across the Nashik forest circle. Entry has been banned to popular trekking destinations including Anjaneri, Harihar Fort, Sandhan Valley and Harishchandragad. Tourism activities have also been prohibited within the Pahine and Bhandardara forest ranges until further orders.