Portion of Mumbai-Goa highway between Nivli and Hatkhamba washed away due to torrential rains, landslides at other places

MUMBAI:  While a landslide on one lane of the Mumbai-Goa highway has resulted in diversion of traffic and movement on only one lane of the yet-to-be-completed highway, torrential rains throughout the day from Tuesday night through Wednesday resulted in a portion of the highway being washed away.

Traffic was greatly affected as potholes developed at various parts of the highway and adjoining roads, causing a disruption in the flow of traffic. The normal journey between Panaji and Mumbai – Dadar which takes about 12 hours took more than 20 hours on Wednesday. The diversions at various places resulted in a delay of 5 to 8 hours, with commuters in luxury buses experiencing great hardship due to the bumpy roads.

The four-lane highway in the Ratnagiri taluka, which was delayed and is still under construction was significantly damaged due to soil erosion caused due to very heavy rain.

A portion of the Nivli to Hatkhamba road was closed after a portion of the highway was washed away on Wednesday.

A segment of the alternate road of Kashti and Vaitagwadi villages in Khardi which fall in the Shahpur taluka was also washed away. More than 200 mm o rain was recorded in the Thane region and several places and local roads were submerged.