More than 100,000 people who had sheltered from Cyclone Biparjoy in relief camps in western India have begun to return home after the storm weakened, the authorities said.
In the coastal village of Jakhau, where the cyclone made landfall in India’s Gujarat state on Thursday, more than 130 people had shifted back to their homes from a government-run shelter by midday Saturday.
Officials said that while electricity had been restored in many areas, some 1,500 villages were still without power. After making landfall, the cyclone uprooted trees and electricity poles in hundreds of villages along the coastal regions of Gujarat.
“It was very scary and we expected huge damage,” said Amad, a trader who rents boats to fishermen in Jakhau and only uses one name.
“But thankfully nature’s wrath was somewhat lighter than we anticipated.”
He said there was no major damage in the village barring the uprooting of trees, electricity poles and minor damage to some homes.
“Our teams are working on the ground to restore electricity supply and supply of drinking water. Repairing of damaged roads and other physical infrastructure is also being undertaken on a priority basis,” said Kamal Dayani, Gujarat’s revenue secretary.
The storm had wind speeds of 85kph (53mph) and gusts up to 105kph (65mph) through the coastal areas of Gujarat.
The India Meteorological Department said early Saturday that the cyclone had weakened to a deep depression and was expected to slump further in the next 12 hours.
The full extent of the damage in Gujarat was not immediately known.
India’s Federal Home Minister Amit Shah visited Jakhau on Saturday to monitor the situation in the village, and thanked relief agencies for doing an “exceptional” job.
Met people at the relief camps in Jakhau, Kutch. Under PM @narendramodi Ji's guidance, the Gujarat government, NDRF, and SDRF have done an exceptional job in preventing the loss of lives and taking care of the people during the devastating Biparjoy cyclone. pic.twitter.com/RTvmplIqnx
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 17, 2023
“The relief and rehabilitation efforts are under way on a war footing to minimize the hardship faced by the people,” he posted on Twitter.
During a news conference, the home minister added that not one life had been lost due to Biparjoy since it made landfall in Gujarat.
The deaths of two shepherds were reported while trying to prevent their cattle being swept away during heavy rains and floods, hours before the cyclone made landfall. Officials said 23 people were injured in various areas.
Early warnings, accurate identification of vulnerable areas and timely evacuations helped India to avert major casualties.
Authorities in India and neighbouring Pakistan evacuated more than 180,000 people from vulnerable areas as the storm approached.
According to a 2021 study, the frequency, duration and intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea increased significantly between 1982 and 2019. Experts say that trend will continue, making preparations for natural disasters more urgent.
