Murud taluka in Raigad records year’s highest single-day rainfall

348 mm rain prompts evacuation of 550 villagers in district

Murud taluka on Sunday recorded this year’s highest single-day rainfall of 348 mm in Raigad district, prompting the evacuation of 550 residents of six villages. The rain also triggered landslides at Rajpuri in Murud and Kelghar in Roha, damaging hutments and roads. Traffic was diverted on Alibag-Murud route via Supegaon after a motorcyclist was killed and six occupants of a car were injured when the slab of an arch drain collapsed at 8.30 p.m. The deceased was identified as Vijay Chavan (50), a resident of Ekdara village, while the injured were Sagar Bhayde (40), wife Shobha Bhayde (38), their children Shree (9) and Neel (4); and friends Ujita Piple (38) and Pushpa Sakpal (38). They were heading from Murud to Panvel. The occupants broke the rear window with a headrest and escaped. They then alerted the control room. A PWD officer said the three-metre-long drain was built 40 years ago. “The structural audit was conducted this year before the monsoon and it had passed the test. The heavy rainfall in Murud created pressure under the drain and caused the slab to collapse,” he said.