[Santoshbhat]

^^^ Oh boy! I am thanking my stars I went by train this time to Belgaum. Pure chance actually. I almost always drive down. But this time had some tight schedules on both sides and was short of time so thought of saving time by taking the newly started BLR- BGM special train introduced recently. I returned this morning and the rains have really intensified over the last 3 or 4 days. Kolhpaur is cut off as of now from Belgaum. Even Belgaum city faces the risk of flooding if rains don't subside in the coming few days.

Wonder what is the situation on the Hubli side. I am really confused as to whether I should call off my trip to Sirsi this week. It has been raining very heavily in that region too .

[paragsachania]

Pune Satara is also closed at Sangli Phata which is precisely at the end of Kolhapur Bypass towards Pune and videos doing rounds on WhatsApp also confirm this:


As per this image received on Whatsapp(authenticity not verified).

It says that there is a possibility of water submerging the highway from River Panchaganga and due to this the have taken a decision to shut down the highway till water levels recede.

[drhoneycake]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Wonder what is the situation on the Hubli side. I am really confused as to whether I should call off my trip to Sirsi this week. It has been raining very heavily in that region too .

Hi Santosh sir,

I’m in Sirsi right now and it has been pouring nonstop for 2 days. Schools and Colleges have declared a holiday. Local Bus service is affected and interior village roads are not accessible. Not to mention power cuts.

Had to goto my in-laws in Honnavar and Sirsi-Kumta road is closed.

You can still drive to Sirsi via Davanagere, Haveri

[paragsachania]

Pune-Bengaluru stretch of NH 48 to be closed for a few days:

There are blockages at several points on the highway.

The Pune-Bengaluru stretch of the National Highway 48 will remain closed for a few days for traffic. This is due to blockages at several points on the highway.

There was a landslide near Kognoli in Maharashtra on Monday evening and flooding of the road near Kolhapur, Kakati, and Yamagarni villages along the way on Tuesday following heavy rains in western Maharashtra and north Karnataka.

Maharashtra police stopped traffic and communicated to the Karnataka police. The vehicles were stopped for about four hours on Monday night before police cleared debris on one side. Commuters used it for a few hours by riding on one side. But then, water from nearby mountains flooded parts of the highway near Kakati Tuesday morning, making travel risky. Flooding on either side of the border led to police erecting the barricades again.

The Belagavi police requested all the check posts and toll booths along the Bengaluru- Belagavi route to stop and send back all vehicles headed to Kolhapur- Pune or Mumbai. “We are advising people to put off travel on this route for a few days. It may cause some inconvenience, but it is better to take precautions,’’ SP Lakshman Nimbargi said.

Residents of villages along the road, who are well versed with interior roads, are using alternative routes via Nippan Chikkodi, Ichalkaranji, Rashiwade and other villages. However, police are advising first-time travellers to avoid village roads as there is a possibility of flash floods in streams and tributaries nearby.

“We hope to reopen the highway in one or two days,’’ Raghavendra Suhas, Inspector General of police (northern range), told The Hindu. “We are waiting for the rain to subside to flush out water from the road. Boulders or mud collected on the road due to rains will also be collected. We are waiting for the rain to stop for a few hours to take up cleaning up of the road,’’ he said.

This just means it is risky to drive in present condition. Even if things settle down, the aftermath will add to your travel times as well and not to forget the expansion work between Chitradurga - Hubli that anyway is adding an extra hour as of today.

[vivek95]

Originally Posted by condor

Another update I saw on FB - Looks Bad

Attachment 1902842 Attachment 1902843

Guys, these 2 pics particularly are making rounds on WhatsApp and FB since 2 days and are wrongly reported as Mumbai--Pune Expressway and in some instances as NH4 Shiroli near Kolhapur

Let me make it clear that it is neither Mumbai--Pune Expressway nor Khambatki ghat, Pune--Satara section nor any other stretch of NH4 Mumbai--Pune--Belgaum for sure. Those pics are from Kasara ghat, Mumbai--Nasik highway NH3.

I had a distinct impression that it could be either Mumbai--Nasik or Pune--Nasik highway, but then I zoomed the pic and saw the advertisement of "Greenland Pure Veg" hotel on the left lower end of the 2nd pic. Instantly remembered that I have stopped at this hotel a couple of times on my Mumbai--Nasik/Shirdi/Bhandardara journeys. So that basically is Kasara ghat and the Marathi newspapers confirm the same.


There has been a minor cracking up of shoulder lane (Pune direction) on Mumbai--Pune expressway on the ghat section and yesterday there was a landslide as well. I had driven to Pawana--Lonavala and back to Mumbai on 3rd August 2019 and rains had been extremely heavy all day along bringing down the visibility to 10 metres on Expressway.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by vivek95

Those pics are from Kasara ghat, Mumbai--Nasik highway NH3.

The print media has been mentioning it as NH4 (Pune Bangalore) while vernacular news channels in Marathi have been aptly referring to it as Kasara Ghat.

Seeing these images, I was wondering which Section of NH4 it really belonged to as well.

[hmansari]

I came across this piece of news and the first thing that came to my mind was this thread to warn people planning to drive this route about it.


"A major crack on the road halted traffic on National Highway 48 (formerly NH 4) on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border. The crack developed on Monday night after heavy rainfall in Belagavi and its neighbouring districts in northern Karnataka.

The photographs are from near Kagal village in Maharashtra, around 8 km from Koganolli, the last village in Belagavi district before the border with Maharashtra. The roads leading to Kaagal were blocked on Tuesday and officials from Kohlapur district of Maharashtra are currently carrying out repair works.

The official also confirmed that due to waterlogging, the national highway connecting Bengaluru and Pune is now shut and vehicles leaving Belagavi are only able to travel till Kakati, around 10 km north of the city.

Here is a full list of the roads closed in northern Karnataka — Yellapur -Ankola, Hubballi -Yellapur; BGM: Belagavi - Panjim, Jamkandi -Vijayapur, Belagavi- Gokak, Belagavi - Vengurla; CKD: Kagwad-Miraj, Chikkodi -Ichalkaranji, Nippani -Kolhapur, Gokak-Vijayapur, Nippani -Gadinglaj, Nippani -Hupri, Athani-Kudchi; BGK: Jamkandi -Savalagi, Jamakandi -Guddapur, Chikkapadsalgi barrage, Kudachi barrage."


Source:
https://www.thenewsminute.com/articl...ted-106731?amp


Stay safe.

hmansari

[vivek95]

Check out this FB page on Belgaum city to know about the grim situation in and around Belgaum on NH4, Kolhapur etc.

https://www.facebook.com/14643754736...2721819473491/

[condor]

Word from Belgaum is that roads near Kolhapur are blocked. Some bridges in the interiors are submerged too. In Dharwad-Hubli (not the highway), water logging is so much that water is inside the city buses.

An unfortunate event at Kittur: A tree had fallen on the road, and police were trying to manage the traffic. A speeding car lost control (possibly trying to stop), and hit a Sub Inspector who was standing at the side of the road - died on the spot.

[sj_koova]

Please keep the updates flowing. I am planning to Drive to Pune on Sunday. Looking at the status of the Kolhapur section, it seems to be a bad idea.

[dsnaveen21]

Thanks, for the update, I was also planning to drive this Friday noon to Belguam, need to re-think about the plans.

[condor]

Originally Posted by sj_koova

I am planning to Drive to Pune on Sunday. Looking at the status of the Kolhapur section, it seems to be a bad idea.

Originally Posted by dsnaveen21

I was also planning to drive this Friday noon to Belguam, ...

Belgaum should be fine, though may need to hold back for Pune.


I am planning to drive down after the 15th, but my drive would be on the NH till Dharwad, after which I would be heading on the state/district roads. Hopefully, the rains would have abated by then.

[ro3hit]

I would strongly urge not to travel to Belgaum unless its absolutely necessary

Although the roads might allow you to reach, the city has seen unprecedented rain in the past week

Almost all areas have water logging and flowing water through the city. The drains have been flooded and are spilling onto the streets and entering houses. The chances of water borne diseases is extremely high, along with power failure for hours at stretch.

The entire district is under stress and if its not an emergency travel please try to hold back and replan for better time until the rains subside and the cities return back to normalcy

Although i have not personally seen it, have relatives spread across the city and everyone is suffering in one way or the other

There are plans to setup flood and rain relief funds as well for North Karnataka and urge everyone to contribute when the need arises

[Chinmayd]

I drove from Bangalore to Panjim on Aug 3 and planned to return on Aug 10. Wondering when it will be safe to travel and what route to take. Please keep informed updates flowing and beware of rumours.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by Chinmayd

Wondering when it will be safe to travel and what route to take.

I haven't heard of any disruptions on the Karwar-Yellapur-Hubli route, so that would be the route to take. Chorla was badly hit, I won't bother with Amboli for now.