Pandavkada waterfall is located in Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, around 50 kms from Mumbai. The waterfall, about 107 metre high, is a type of ‘plunge’ fall, pouring down in massive volumes on the rocky surface at the bottom.
It used to be one of the most sought-after monsoon getaways for day picnics until 2016, when the local authorities banned tourists from visiting it during the rainy season.
The decision was taken in the light of a few accidents which cost some picnickers their lives. Since 2011, at least three youths have drowned at the location while many others have been injured during their attempts to venture into tricky areas of the fall.
But revellers have defied the ban on entry to Pandavkada now and then. They have flocked to the waterfall on weekends and spent a day there in the midst of heavy rainfall.
After the ban in 2016, and its subsequent breaches, the authorities decided to construct a 3.5-km wall around the waterfall, in order to prevent entry into the danger zone. The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) provided Rs 1.33 lakh to the forest department, which gave the sum to the state Public Works Department (PWD) to carry out the work. But it was never executed.
Later, the forest department constructed an artificial pool near the fall so revellers do not wade into the danger zone. It also developed a small garden put up warning signboards alert visitors to the dangers.
It used to be one of the most sought-after monsoon getaways for day picnics until 2016, when the local authorities banned tourists from visiting it during the rainy season.
The decision was taken in the light of a few accidents which cost some picnickers their lives. Since 2011, at least three youths have drowned at the location while many others have been injured during their attempts to venture into tricky areas of the fall.
But revellers have defied the ban on entry to Pandavkada now and then. They have flocked to the waterfall on weekends and spent a day there in the midst of heavy rainfall.
After the ban in 2016, and its subsequent breaches, the authorities decided to construct a 3.5-km wall around the waterfall, in order to prevent entry into the danger zone. The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) provided Rs 1.33 lakh to the forest department, which gave the sum to the state Public Works Department (PWD) to carry out the work. But it was never executed.
Later, the forest department constructed an artificial pool near the fall so revellers do not wade into the danger zone. It also developed a small garden put up warning signboards alert visitors to the dangers.
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