Boulder falls onto Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway amid heavy rainfall

Pic/Hanif Patel

Commuters on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway had a tough time on Thursday morning when a massive boulder dislodged from the hills and landed on the six-lane thoroughfare, all due to the relentless heavy rainfall. However, no injuries were reported in the incident.

The incident occurred near Mendhwan village, located in Palghar district. Commuters on the highway cautiously navigated their vehicles around the imposing obstacle that had obstructed the six-lane roadway.

Upon receiving information about the boulder obstructing the bustling highway, the Palghar police swiftly dispatched a team to the scene. "Traffic momentarily slowed down as a result of this obstruction. However, we have removed the boulder from the roadway, and traffic conditions have returned to normal," said PSI Balu Rathod from the Charoti traffic division of the Palghar police.

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Pertinently, Palghar district has been grappling with heavy rainfall since early Thursday morning.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department forecast, beginning on September 7, widespread rainfall is expected in all regions of Maharashtra, including North Konkan, South Konkan, Goa, North Central Maharashtra, Marathwada, East Vidarbha, and West Vidarbha.

After subdued rainfall resulted in India experiencing the driest August since 1901, the Southwest Monsoon is expected to revive over the weekend bringing rain to central and southern parts of the country, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on August 31.

After excess rainfall in July, the south-west monsoon played truant for most of August which witnessed 20 break days from August 6-17, August 21-22 and August 26-31 on account of El Nino conditions in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and unfavourable Indian Ocean Dipole conditions.

With a 36 per cent deficit, India recorded the driest August since 1901. August receives 254.9 mm of rainfall, accounting for around 30 per cent of the precipitation during the monsoon season. The actual rainfall recorded in August was 162.7 mm.

India recorded a rainfall deficit of 25 per cent in August 2005, 24.6 per cent in 1965; 24.4 per cent in 1920; 24.1 per cent in 2009 and 24 per cent deficit in 1913, according to the IMD data.