Overview

• A sudden 200 mm rainfall surge in three hours caused the Kalu River to overflow, leaving around 50 tourists near Kalu Waterfall and approximately 300 trekkers cut off by rising waters.
• Forest officials, police, local volunteers and disaster teams spent seven hours navigating slippery terrain to swim across gushing currents, rig zip-lines and secure ropes for safe evacuations.
• Among those rescued were trekkers from Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad, including about 100 women who had entered restricted forest zones without local guides.
• Forest Department and IMD warnings against monsoon treks were widely disregarded, reflecting a risky surge in social media–driven tourism to Western Ghats waterfalls.
• Authorities are urging permanent railings, enforced guided-tour requirements and stricter patrols of prohibited areas to prevent future emergencies.