‘Monsoon tourism’ rings in cash, ecological alarms

Mumbai: Rains shattered records in many parts of Maharashtra particularly the big and small hill-resorts dotting the Sahyadri range in the Western Ghats, attracting hordes of tourists not only locals but from several other states.

The incessant downpour transformed the Sahyadri ranges into a lush green haven, cascade of waterfalls, streams, rivulets, but also hit travel besides raising fresh concerns about the impact of extreme weather events in the ecologically fragile region.

Tourism meccas like Matheran (Raigad), Tamhini, Lonavala, Khandala (Pune), Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani (Satara), Igatpuri (Nashik) and others witnessed massive crowds over the weekend, but the footfalls somewhat fell this week owing to the deluge around the state.

As per official data, Matheran recorded a staggering 700 mm rains on Monday-Tuesday, Lonavala-Khandala notched 425 mm, Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani 200 mm and Tamhini Ghat 575 mm (all on Tuesday), while the Sahyadris accumulated around 7,500 mm rains from June 1.

Weather watchers termed these figures as ‘awesome, mind-boggling’, while worried hoteliers in Matheran, Mahabaleshwar and other hill-stations in Pune and Nashik districts monitor the rain clouds as excess rains can wash out their monsoon business prospects.

Owner of Radha Cottage – the erstwhile heritage bungalow of the legendary Sir Pherozeshah Mehta – Manoj Khedkar said last weekend was full and next weekend is almost fully booked, though this week (Sunday-Wednesday) saw a steep 50 pc fall in reservations as people were stranded at various places.

“Such a deluge has washed away most of the mud roads of Matheran, several trees have crashed without and outside the hill-resort. The unchecked tourist influx could prove the death-knell and Matheran may disappear in the next five decades. The local and state government must take steps to conserve its fragile ecosystem, lay clay paver blocks to prevent denudation that weakens the green cover plus construct small check bunds to prevent water running on the muddy roads,” urged Khedkar, speaking to ‘The Perfect Voice’.

Panchgani’s Cloud Green Resort owner Vinod Shinde said that people come to ‘experience the thrill of monsoon in the mountains’, soak in the rains and the greenery, go for treks or long drives or hiking.

“It is popular all 12 months, but the monsoon weekends are jammed with tourists from not only Maharashtra but many parts of India. The roads have deteriorated and the anticipated Independence Day to Janmashthami festival season was disappointing with cancellations. Many sight-seeing points are closed and the adventure activities like paragliding, ballooning, etc are also shut,” a gloomy Shinde said.

Mahabaleshwar’s Brightlands Resorts owner Vijay Sevakramani said that while the hill-station has charmed tourists in all seasons, the past few days were of concern due to a spate of cancellations as Maharashtra was clobbered by heavy rains.

India 'embraces' Maharashtra's hill-stations

According to hoteliers, thanks to social media, Matheran – the sole automobile-free hill-station in Asia discovered in 1850 – reputation has spread, with many tourists coming here from Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, etc., and stressed the need to keep its lure always alive, with some restrictions or discipline.

Ditto is the case with Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani, Lonavala-Khandala, Bhimashankar, Igatpuri, a few sea resorts, the state’s historic coastal and hill-forts, and other attractions.

Amateur weather watcher and traveller Naveen Reddy said that the sheer volume of rains in the Western Ghats is “breaking many records” and Agro-Scientist Athreya Shetty termed the rains as “absolutely thrashing the Ghats”, but all these have made the lush green region even more enchanting, with the clouds gently descending on the hills and covering the tiny villages.