Kutch, June 13 (IANS) As cyclone Biparjoy advances towards the Gujarat coast with a projected landfall near Jakhau port in the Kutch district, efforts to evacuate thousands of people to safer places are underway on a war-footing.
Officials in the coastal districts of Kutch, Porbandar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Junagadh, and Morbi have initiated the process of shifting people residing in close proximity to the coast to safer locations.
Thousands of people living within 10 km from the shore are set to be moved to designated safe-havens.
The looming cyclone, Biparjoy, poses a challenging week for hundreds of thousands of people residing in the coastal regions of Saurashtra and Kutch in Gujarat. The cyclone is accompanied by destructive winds and heavy rainfall, with landfall anticipated near the fishing port of Jakhau on June 15.
The impact of the impending cyclone has already begun to manifest, as fierce winds have uprooted trees, resulting in unfortunate casualties. Tragically, two young cousins, a four-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl, lost their lives when a wall collapsed on them in Bhuj town.
Additionally, a woman riding pillion with her husband met with a fatal end after a massive tree fell on their scooter in Jasdan taluka of Rajkot.
Efforts are underway to evacuate over 12,000 people from Kutch and Dwarka — the districts likely to face the brunt of the storm.
The Arabian Sea is witnessing extreme turbulence, with colossal waves crashing onto the shores of Amreli, Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Kutch, Porbandar, Gir-Somnath, and Jamnagar districts.
In Porbandar, the Indureshwar Mahadev temple’s protective wall succumbed to the constant onslaught of waves, resulting in its collapse. Meanwhile, sections of Veraval town have been submerged in knee-deep waters due to the heavy rainfall.
Several houses in Gir-Somnath district, along the coast suffered damage as waves breached the protective barrier in Saiyed Rajpara village near Una. Approximately 100 residents of these houses have been safely relocated.
The cyclone’s impact has been felt since Sunday, as five cars were charred after a high-tension wire fell on them in Botad district.
Heavy rainfall has been reported in Khambha, Jafrabad, Rajula, and Savarkundla talukas of Amreli, while three boats capsized near Kodinar in Mul Dwarka.
–IANS
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