Houses inundated, villages cut off as incessant rains batter Thane, Palghar

Thane/Palghar | Incessant rains continued to pound Thane and Palghar in Maharashtra on Tuesday, flooding houses, triggering wall collapses and cutting off villages in both districts, officials said.

According to officials, 14 houses along the riverbank at Gorat Gawari Pada in Wada taluka of Palghar were submerged, and 15 homes were inundated in Padgha's Ganesh Nagar.

Floodwaters also entered homes in Vasai's Chandrapada village, Sarja village, Khandipada, and Odola in Chinchoti, and residents were shifted to safer places.

In Thane city, one house was damaged, and residents were evacuated from adjoining homes after debris fell on them amid the rains.

A 70-year-old man sustained injuries and was admitted to the civic hospital in Kalwa.

Barricades and drainage ditches have since been erected to divert rainwater.

A wall of a chawl collapsed in Mumbra's Sanjay Nagar in the morning, and two other wall collapse incidents were reported in Kalwa and Ghodbunder Road in Thane.

Vehicular movement was severely affected as several roads were flooded in Thane city.

Ghodbunder Road to Mira-Bhayander was closed for traffic, with police urging motorists to use alternative routes.

"Ghodbunder Road should only be used in urgent cases. Citizens are strictly advised against driving on the wrong side," a traffic official said.

The rains also left parts of Karnala and Ambarbhui villages in Palghar completely cut off, while the Pachmad and Chinchghar bridges on NH-160A was closed due to flooding.

An SUV was nearly submerged in floodwaters at an underpass connecting Narivali and Uttarshiv villages in Thane. Two locals swam to rescue passengers trapped in the vehicle. A video of the rescue has since gone viral on social media.

The civic bodies, disaster management cell, and local activists remain on high alert, and officials have appealed to residents in flood-prone areas to relocate temporarily and report emergencies promptly.