Homes and farms destroyed, Raigad locals take stock
Cyclone Nisarga has affected lives of lakhs of locals across several villages in Raigad district, who had already been affected owing to the lockdown.
Shahabaj village, located 17km from Alibag, is one of them. “The roof of our house has been damaged and we have been living without electricity or water supply for four days now,” said 28-year-old Ashwini Bhagat.
While her family has an invertor, they have been using it judiciously only to charge the phones of the nine members and while having dinner. Water is also being used judiciously as supply has been affected, she said. Officials have informed locals that it will take at least four days to restore power.
In Thal, 8km from Alibag,
Mukund Sapre has lost an acre of his farm with the cyclone completely destroying coconut trees, banana and betel nut plantations. “It’s a huge loss for us,” said his grandson, Tejas Vaidya
At Alibag’s Vaibhav Nagar, there was no power till Friday night at 29-year-old Jaydatta Nikalje’s home. “In some parts of the town, power was restored only by Saturday morning. Connectivity is still an issue, especially for those working from home owing to the lockdown,” said Nikalje, a digital marketer.
Mandar Kulkarni, another resident of Alibag, said mango, coconut trees, electric and other poles have fallen on roads and those living near the coast have been severely affected. On Friday, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had announced ₹100 crore for immediate relief works in the district.