Gujarat: 1,000 villages without power, no loss of human life aftermath of Cyclone Biparjoy

Ahmedabad: Cyclone Biparjoy, which lashed Kutch-Saurashtra region of Gujarat, has left a trail of destruction as it damaged 5,120 electricity poles and rendered 4,600 villages without power even as the authorities said that no loss of human life has been reported.

Relief Commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey in Gandhinagar said, "The cyclone caused extensive financial loss to the state power utility - Paschim Gujarat Vij Company Limited - with 5,120 electricity poles getting damaged. They are being restored. As many as 4,600 villages were rendered without power, but electricity supply has been restored in 3,580 villages."

Work to restore power supply in the remaining villages is underway, but inclement weather is posing hurdles in the task, he said.

More than 1,000 villages are still without electricity said the electricity department.

Trees uprooted on highways

Nearly 600 trees got uprooted and traffic movement on three state highways came to a standstill due to damages and felling of trees. Nine pucca and 20 kutcha houses were razed, and two pucca and 474 kutcha houses suffered partial damages according to the state relief and rehabilitation department.

At least 23 people were injured as a result of the cyclone, which also left many houses damaged.

The wind speeds were recorded at 140 kmph and incessant rains were witnessed. Trees and electricity poles were uprooted, while seawater entered villages located in low-lying areas, officials said.

Heavy rains lashed the entire Kutch district since the cyclone started making landfall near Jakhau Port at 6.30 pm on Thursday and the process continued till 2.30 am, they said.

Relief and rehabilitation

"No human death has been reported so far due to cyclone Biparjoy. It is the biggest achievement for the state. This was possible because of our collective efforts," state Relief Commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey told reporters in Gandhinagar.

More than one lakh people had been shifted to safer places before the cyclone's landfall, he said.

Asked about a cattle-rearer duo of father and son dying on Thursday while trying to save their goats stuck in a flooded ravine in Bhavnagar district, Pandey said that since the district was not cyclone-affected, their deaths were not counted as cyclone-related.

Ministers in districts

Central and state ministers in charge of different districts, administration, and social service organizations campaigned to ensure that rescue and relief operations were carried out with better coordination.

A collective effort has led to the state achieving one of the highest numbers of over one lakh people relocated to safe places from villages close to the Arabian Sea. With improvement in the situation, the local district administration will begin shifting back those relocated to safer places, he said.

Not a single human life was lost

The National Disaster Response Force Director General Atul Karwal in Delhi also said that not a single human life was lost after the cyclone's landfall. There was no loss of human life because of the efforts of the Gujarat administration and other agencies that worked to ensure the least loss of life and property, he added.

"Of the 1,000 villages facing electricity disruption in the state, 40 per cent disruptions are in Kutch district alone as it bore the maximum brunt of the cyclone," Karwal said, adding that except Rajkot, no place in Gujarat is experiencing heavy rains.

A total of 18 NDRF teams, equipped with pole and tree cutters and inflatable boats, are deployed in Gujarat to undertake rescue and relief operations.

Five teams in Mumbai and four in Karnataka are actively deployed to respond to any situation that develops due to the cyclone the DG said.

The cyclone is now headed towards south Rajasthan and the NDRF has already positioned a team in Jalore (in that state) after consultation with the state government as heavy rains may lead to a situation of flooding and people getting trapped, he added.

Cyclone intensity reduced

The cyclone intensity has reduced from 'very severe' to 'severe' category hours after making landfall. The cyclone has moved north-eastwards and has weakened into a cyclonic storm and will become a depression by the evening over south Rajasthan, officials said.

Inputs from PTI