Monday, 17 May 2021 | Rajesh Kumar | New Delhi
Cyclone claims 8 lives, inoculation drive suspended in coastal areas
The anti-Covid inoculation drive in most parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu was affected on Sunday due to the cyclonic storm ‘Tauktae’ that displaced thousands of people and claimed eight lives so far.
Keeping in view of India Meteorological Department’s warning, most of the coastal regions in these States suspended the drive for two days-Sunday and Monday.
The inoculation was suspended for two days — Sunday and Monday in Mumbai, Palghar, north Konkan, Thane, Ratnagiri districts in Maharashtra. Gujarat has also suspended the drive for two days. The drive was also affected in Kerala, Goa, Tamil nadu, Gujarat and Karnataka.
Heavy to heavy rainfall, gusty winds with 145 to 175 kmph, disruption in power supplies, floods in low lying areas, water logging and blockage of roads due to fallen trees impacted the inoculation drive.
As per preliminary reports, the cyclone has claimed lives of eight people (two in Kerala, two in Goa and four in Karnataka), uprooted a large number of trees, electricity poles and damaged a large number properties so far.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Tauktae which has taken the form of a “very severe cyclonic storm” is likely to intensify further during the next 24 hours and reach the Gujarat coast on Monday evening.
The IMD said Tauktae would cross Gujarat’s coast between Porbandar and Mahuva in Bhavnagar district by early Tuesday morning and tidal waves are likely to inundate several coastal districts during the landfall.
The cyclone has damaged thousands of properties and displaced over 3 lakh people in six states. Cyclone Tauktae is very likely to cross Gujarat coast between Porbandar & Mahuva (Bhavnagar district) around 18 May afternoon or evening.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had announced that there would be no inoculation on May 16-17 considering the IMD’s cyclone warning. The vaccination programme will now be implemented on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the BMC said.
Considering the warning, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has shifted more than 500 Covid-19 patients to state and civic-run hospitals in Mumbai. The IMD has issued an orange alert for Mumbai and heavy to heavy rain is expected. Inoculation drive also impacted north Konkan, Thane, Ratnagiri, Palghar and several other districts in Maharashtra due to gusty winds and heavy rainfall.
Inoculation remained affected in Gujarat due to bad weather on Sunday. The Vijay Rupani government on Sunday has suspended the vaccination on Monday and Tuesday as the health staff will be kept on standby for the next two days to meet any emergency arising out of the cyclonic storm. The government has asked hospitals treating COVID-19 patients to ensure a power backup and arrangements are also being made to ensure uninterrupted generation of medical oxygen in the eight manufacturing units and its supply.
The drive was also affected in Goa. Water entered the Goa medical college, (where 82 patients died of shortage of oxygen or logistic issues in the last one week). Power supply in most parts of Goa was disrupted as hundreds of electric poles were uprooted due to the high-speed winds.
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant said that it will take two days to restore power supply across the state. Due to heavy rain and strong winds, water entered through windows in Goa Medical College’s Super Speciality Block which was inaugurated two days back for Covid-19 patients. As a precautionary measure, the patients were shifted to a safer place. Covid-19 patients undergoing treatment at hospitals and requiring oxygen cylinders need un-interrupted supply of oxygen. All air operations were suspended for a day at Goa International Airport on Sunday
In Kerala, inoculation drives remained affected Mankombu, Thekkekara, Vejpara and Poovam, Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Malappuram on Sunday. According to preliminary reports, two people died in Kerala on Sunday as a result of heavy rains accompanying the storm. The two deaths were reported from Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts.
Waterlogging in several parts of Alappuzha and water enters houses in low-lying areas of Mankombu, Thekkekara, Vejpara and Poovam. In Karnataka, vaccination was suspended in over 70 villages in seven districts including Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu and Hassan.
In Karnataka, inoculation drives were cancelled in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru districts due to heavy rainfall, waterlogging, disruption in power supplies.
