Cyclone Nisarga: CM asks state officials to accelerate cyclone mitigation project

In the aftermath of the devastation caused by Cylone Nisarga in the coastal districts of Maharashtra, especially Raigad, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray asked state

In the aftermath of the devastation caused by Cylone Nisarga in the coastal districts of Maharashtra, especially Raigad, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray asked state officials to accelerate works on the World Bank-funded National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) on a war footing.

HT Image

The 2015 project includes construction of underground power cables, building multiple hurricane-resistant shelters, strengthening houses and creating an early-warning dissemination system.

As per the state records, works worth ₹203.77 crore are already in progress in Raigad, Ratnagiri and Palghar. The total project cost is about ₹398 crores.

“Apart from underground cables which the chief minister has stressed on, the state is looking at setting up 30 shelters, rebuilding damaged houses using concrete slabs, and installing lighting arresters in areas prone to frequent power-outages,” a state official said. Around 11 shelters have been built under the project so far.

Thackeray undertook a review meeting with officials from the state disaster management department and relief and rehabilitation units on Monday.

Cyclone Nisarga made a landfall in Raigad district last Wednesday damaging lakhs of houses, trees, and electric poles. Power and water supply has also been hit in many parts of the coastal districts.

In 2015, the World Bank approved funds for implementing phase-2 of the NCRMP to “reduce vulnerability to cyclone and other hydro-meteorological hazards of coastal communities in the states of Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, and West Bengal.” In Phase-1, works were undertaken in the states of Odisha and West Bengal, the World Bank website states.