Sunday, 22 December 2024
Sunday, 22 December 2024
Heavy rains lashed the entire Kutch district since the cyclone started making landfall near Jakhau Port from 6.30 pm on Thursday and the process continued till 2.30 am, an official said. 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.
"Forty-five villages in Naliya tehsil of Kutch district plunged into darkness after electricity cables were snapped and poles got uprooted due to the cyclone," the official said.
After the landfall process got over, the intensity of the cyclone reduced from 'very severe' to 'severe' category. It has moved north-eastwards and weakened into a cyclonic storm. It will become a depression by the evening over south Rajasthan, he said.
Kutch collector Amit Arora said no report of any fatality caused due to the cyclone has been received so far from the district. "There are cases of injuries and trauma," he said. An official of the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said they have not received report of any death from the state so far.
A relief and rescue operation is underway with multiple teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) deployed in the affected districts, officials said.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel reviewed the situation and the rescue and relief operation at the State Emergency Operation Centre in Gandhinagar. The state government said it has deployed 631 medical teams and 504 ambulances in the eight affected districts. It said that till Thursday evening it shifted more than 94,000 persons living in the eight coastal districts to temporary shelters.
Apart from teams of NDRF and SDRF, Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Border Security Force (BSF) have been roped in for relief and rescue operations, officials said.
In a statement issued on Friday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, "BIPARJOY has weakened into severe cyclonic storm and lay centred at 0530IST of today over Saurashtra & Kutch, about 70km East-North East of Jakhau Port (Gujarat), 50 km North-East of Naliya. It is very likely to move nearly North-Eastwards and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm over Saurashtra & Kutch around noon and subsequently into a deep depression around evening of 16th June." The cyclone will move towards south Rajasthan, a met department official said.
Several areas of Jalore and Barmer districts in Rajasthan witnessed heavy rain due to Cyclone Biparjoy, which moved towards the desert state following its landfall in Gujarat, officials said on Friday. A meteorological department official said 60-70 mm rains occurred at a few places on Thursday night and extremely heavy rainfall is likely to occur in both the districts and adjoining areas on Friday.
The department has sounded a "red" alert for Jalore and Barmer. More than 200 mm rainfall may occur in the areas where the alert has been sounded. The cyclone will weaken and move further over Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Pali and Sirohi where very heavy rainfall is likely, the official said, adding that heavy rains may also occur in Rajsamand, Dungarpur and nearby areas on Friday and Saturday.
