JAKHAU (KUTCH): Cyclone Biparjoy moved out of a battered north Gujarat on Friday evening, leaving vast swathes in Kutch and Saurashtra flooded, roads that were barely visible under thousands of uprooted trees, thatched houses flattened, farms marooned and most areas without electricity.
Many roads remain unapproachable due to sludge and it may take a few more days before the rain stops and the situation approaches normalcy.
By Friday night, the cyclone remnant lay over southeast Pakistan as a deep depression and was set to enter Rajasthan, where 5,000 people had been shifted to safety in Barmer district in view of heavy rains.
In Kutch, the NDRF, SDRF and police mounted gruelling efforts to rescue people amid ravaging winds and incessant downpour. Around 80,000 electricity poles had collapsed while nearly 33,000 hectares of farmland were damaged in the district.
Two deaths were reported, although the state government claimed zero fatalities due to timely evacuation and disaster management. A 40-year-old woman, Rajshree Kasundra, died near Maliya-Miyana in Morbi district when the tin shed of a hotel fell on her. In Vadodara, one person died when a wall collapsed due to strong winds.
Jakhau, the fishing port, where the cyclone made landfall and a couple of adjoining villages were in ruins. When TOI visited these villages, residents were mourning losses. Hamirji Abda, who had a small shop in Jakhau, said, “There is not a single house in our village that has not suffered damages.” Jakhau has a population of around 4,000, half of them engaged in fishing. There are close to 522 boats, which, if damaged, can snatch the livelihoods of many.
“It felt as if a helicopter landed on my rooftop. Everything inside the house was shaking and the howling wind made it difficult to hear people speak. I was afraid my house would get uprooted,” Harun Ismail Ker, a resident of the village closest to Jakhau port, told TOI about his early Friday morning ordeal.
On Friday, 30 districts of the state received heavy to moderate rainfall under the cyclone impact with most taluks of Kutch recording more than 100mm. At several places, the NDRF jawans had to brave gusts and flooded roads to rescue people stranded in homes and farms.
The temple town of Dwarka was heavily waterlogged and continuous rainfall paralysed life. A group of 17 pilgrims from Delhi who had come to the town on June 12 were stranded. “We have never seen a natural calamity of this scale,” said Sonia, of the group members.
Chief minister Bhupendra Patel said, “Restoration of electricity in areas where poles and transformers have been damaged has been taken up on priority along with ensuring water supply and communication.”
Talking to reporters in Delhi, NDRF director general Atul Karwal said, “There was no loss of human life because of the efforts of the Gujarat administration and other agencies that worked to ensure the least deaths and damage to property.”
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, Location Guesser and Mini Crossword. Nimesh Khakhariya is an assistant editor with Times Of India.