Cyclone Tauktae: Back-ups for oxygen, medicines ready, says CM Uddhav Thackeray

As Cyclone Tauktae, which is moving parallel to the Konkan coast, changed speed and turned into a very strong cyclone on Sunday, affecting several villages near Rajapur in Ratnagiri district, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray told the Centre that the state was ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply and has prepared a back-up plan for supply of oxygen and medicines to Covid-19 patients

As Cyclone Tauktae, which is moving parallel to the Konkan coast, changed speed and turned into a very strong cyclone on Sunday, affecting several villages near Rajapur in Ratnagiri district, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray told the Centre that the state was ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply and has prepared a back-up plan for supply of oxygen and medicines to Covid-19 patients. Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday conducted a review meeting through video-conference with chief ministers of Maharashtra and Gujarat, and Dadra-Nagar Haveli administration.

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Many tehsils in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg witnessed damage to property, felled trees and power outages owing to the gusty winds at a speed of 130 miles per hour. District authorities shifted as many as 652 residents living in slums in Rajapur by 5pm. Strong winds are also reported to have caused severe damage to mango growers. On Sunday night, the Indian Meteorological department said the cyclone is likely to hit Ratnagiri district by midnight.

Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has shifted at least 580 patients from the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) jumbo facility, Dahisar and Mulund Jumbo facilities to the Nesco Covid facility and the SevenHills hospital in Andheri. Mumbai is expected to receive heavy rainfall and gusty winds post-midnight on Sunday and through Monday, authorities said. Civic authorities also said the BMC has stocked up enough oxygen supply in all remaining jumbo facilities, in light of any emergency, where oxygen cannot be delivered on time on Monday. All hospitals have power back-ups, and an additional stock of diesel for diesel generators, in case of power outages, according to the BMC.

Thackeray told Shah that around 900 metric tonnes of oxygen is produced in five production plants near coastal Maharashtra and the administration of Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg have been asked to take precautionary measures to ensure these plants are safeguarded. In a statement, the Maharashtra government said, “The double feeder power supply and strong wiring will ensure no damage is caused to oxygen production plants near the coast.”

Maharashtra also has around 12 hours of oxygen supply in stock as a back-up plan. All fishermen from Maharashtra have returned to the coast and no one is now at sea, except a few from Palghar, who are on the way back, Maharashtra informed the Centre. Homes along the coast have been vacated and residents have been shifted to temporary shelters. “The coast guard is on standby in Mumbai,” said Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner in-charge of BMC’s public health and disaster management departments, adding, “The coast guard on Saturday rescued a few fishermen from the deep sea off Mumbai’s coast. As of now, we don’t have any more information of fishermen at sea.”

After a meeting with the Mumbai Police and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Saturday, the BMC asked all assistant commissioners of 24 wards in the city to be prepared to move residents from low-lying areas in case of inundation. Temporary shelters have been prepared for them. Kakani said, “All low-lying areas have been equipped with dewatering pumps.” Three NDRF teams of 45 members each are on standby for Mumbai.