A father-and-son goatherd duo killed while rescuing their flock in a flooded ravine; but no other human casualties yet
A hoarding damaged by Cyclone Biporjoy in Mandvi, Kutch. Photo: Himanshu Bhayani Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Biporjoy moved on towards Rajasthan after leaving behind a trail of destruction in Gujarat’s Kutch region on June 15, 2023.
The cyclone fortunately did not cause human casualties although a father-and-son goatherd duo died while rescuing their flock in a flooded ravine in the Saurashtra region’s Bhavnagar district, according to media reports.
Biporjoy commenced landfall at 6.30 pm on the evening of June 15, 2023, having become the longest-lived cyclone in both the pre-and post-monsoon Arabian Sea, according to climate experts.
Kutch Relief Commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey told this reporter at 12 am on June 16 that the centre of the eye of the cyclone was now in Pakistan, having trailed through Kutch.
The wind speed was a maximum of 108 kilometres per hour (kmph) and 70 kmph on average. It was 60 kmph in Dwarka city.
“More than 20 electricity poles fell in 940 villages. Some 22 people sustained injuries. There were 23 cattle deaths while 524 trees fell to the ground under the impact of the winds,” Pandey said.
He added that heavy rains were expected in the Patan and Banaskantha districts of the North Gujarat region as the cyclone moved there from Kutch and in southern Rajasthan, where it would go next.
“People were evacuated from low-lying areas. The administration will start the process of calculating the loss and damage caused by the cyclone on the evening June 16,” Pandey informed.
All teams will start rescue and relief operations with effect from June 16.
This reporter, having covered the cyclone landfall in Mandvi, Pingleshwar and Jakhau, saw closed tea shops on his way back to Bhuj due to a disruption in the supply chain of milk.
It rained during the entire night and in the early morning hours of June 16. The rains were accompanied by gusty winds. The power supply has been completely out since 3 am. The supply of daily green groceries may take a hit for a few days.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is likely to visit Kutch on June 16, sources in Gandhinagar told this reporter.
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