NB Explains | This is how Gujarat was saved from Cyclone 'Biparjoy'

With Cyclone Biparjoy making landfall in Gujarat, early warnings, accurate identification of vulnerable areas, and timely evacuations helped the state to avert major casualties from cyclone.

 

 

The cyclone, which originated in the Arabian Sea swept across the west coast of India made landfall on 6:30 pm on Thursday as a 'very severe cyclonic storm', around 10 km north of the Jakhau Port in Kutch, bringing heavy downpour with wind speeds of as high as 140 kmph. The landfall lasted till about 2.30 am on Friday.

 

'Biparjoy' has been predicted to weaken into a deep depression over the Saurashtra-Kutch region, southern Rajasthan and other adjoining areas by this evening.

 

 

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Director General Atul Karwal said that there has been no loss of lives reported after Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall in Gujarat.

 

Addressing a press conference here, the NDRF Director General Atul Karwal said that two people had died before landfall but there was no loss of lives after landfall. "Twenty-four animals have died and 23 people have been injured. Electricity supply has been interrupted in about thousand villages. 800 trees have fallen. It is not raining heavily anywhere except Rajkot," the NDRF DG Karwal said.

 

 

Cyclone Biparjoy has left a trail of destruction in Gujarat's Kutch and Saurashtra regions.

 

Over 4,600 villages were left without power as the storm caused extensive financial loss to the state power utility Paschim Gujarat Vij Company Limited. Relief Commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey later said electricity supply was restored in 3,580 villages.

 

Traffic on three state highways came to a standstill, with the cyclonic wind uprooting about 600 trees. At least 23 people were injured due to cyclone-related incidents while many houses were also damaged.

 

Several coastal villages were flooded due to heavy rains and incoming seawater.

 

 

 

The DG of NDRF also spoke about the successful evacuation mitigation in the low-lying critical areas of Gujarat. "The Gujarat Government made very good arrangements after doing an in-depth study, which we were also a part of. The Gujarat government studied in detail the number of villages within the immediate range of 0-10 km from the coastline.," he said.

 

"According to State Government estimates around 20 lakh people were under the impact of the cyclone and more than 1 lakh people were evacuated from the critical areas, which was a good step of mitigation, and is probably why we got through the landfall with no human deaths. The two lives lost beforehand, the loss is unfortunate, however, the casualties were effectively minimised," the NDRF DG said.