Cyclone Biparjoy aftermath: 1,000 villages in Gujarat without power; trees uprooted, houses damaged

Cyclone Biparjoy, which lashed the Kutch-Saurashtra region, 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. 

Power supply has been restored in 3,580 villages, while more than 1,000 are still without electricity, officials said. Nearly 600 trees get uprooted and traffic movement on three state highways came to a standstill due to damages and felling of trees, they said, adding that many houses were damaged due to the cyclone. 

Biparjoy (meaning disaster or calamity in Bengali) unleashed destructive wind speeds of up to 140 kmph and incessant rains as 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. 

"No human death has been reported so far due to cyclone Biparjoy. The biggest achievement for the state is that not a single human death has been reported so far. This was possible because of our collective efforts," state Relief Commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey told reporters in Gandhinagar. 

More than one lakh people were 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. 

"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," he said. 

Work to restore power supply in the remaining villages is underway, but inclement weather is posing hurdles in the task, Pandey said. "Three state highways were closed as they suffered damages and saw felling of trees. A total of 581 trees were uprooted as per reports. As many as nine pucca and 20 kutcha houses were razed, and two pucca and 474 kutcha houses suffered partial damages," he said. 

Sixty-five thatched houses were destroyed, and the government was preparing an order for immediate compensation to those who have suffered losses due to the cyclone, the official added. 

Media, social service organisations, administration of eight affected districts and central and state ministers in charge for different districts campaigned in their respective districts to ensure that rescue and relief operation was carried out with better coordination, he said. 

"Inter-departmental coordination was also very good, with all of us receiving the guidance of the Chief Minister. He visited the State Emergency Operation Centre, interacted with the media and provided us guidance," he told reporters in Gandhinagar. 

It was this collective effort that 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. 

Pandey said the data received so far is primary in nature and it will be revised when fresh information is received from the administration of affected districts by this evening. 

Data from Kutch will take time to reach because of continuing strong wind and heavy rainfall in the ground zero of the cyclone, he said. 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.