Hit by cyclone, Raigad dist crawls back to normalcy
AMID MONSOON, COVID-19 Power supply restored in 87% areas; 88,000 compensated
MUMBAI: A month after severe cyclone Nisarga left a trail of destruction along the coastal and inland tehsils of Raigad district, the overall situation has steadily improved, the district collector said.
The restoration, however, has been challenging following intense rain.
During June, Raigad recorded 545.5mm rain, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Although it was 22% deficient for the month, it was the third-highest rainfall among all districts in Maharashtra. The district has recorded 791 confirmed cases of Covid-19, 298 recoveries, and 17 deaths so far.
According to the district administration, electricity had been restored across 1,700 of 1,976 villages in Raigad. “Non-electrified villages are mostly across Shrivardhan, Tala, Mhasla and Mangaon tehsils, which were worst-affected due to the cyclone,” said Nidhi Choudhari, district collector and magistrate, Raigad.
“The administration has been working on war-footing for relief and restoration activities, but intense monsoon rain combined with inaccessibility to electricity poles in marshy areas or mangroves has made it even more challenging for us. Also, we are keeping a close watch to ensure residents follow social distancing and safety measures during the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Chaudhari.
Overall, electricity has been restored by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) in 87% areas across 11 talukas, apart from the four most affected ones. Of the total 6.35 lakh consumers, power supply for 5.5 lakh has been restored, said Choudhari.
She said 88,000 people had been paid relief for their damaged houses in the district, while 1,418 of 2,136 water supply systems have been activated through electricity restoration.
Dattatreya Karanje, resident of Aravi in Shrivardhan, said, “It is now 28 days since there is no electricity in our village. We have been provided with a few generators that are mostly used for pumping water from bore wells.”
The administration said network connectivity of 435 of 548 mobile towers in Raigad has been fixed. “Telecom operators have powered towers with the help of generators,” said Choudhari. However, Sandeep Mendharkar from Mhasla, said, “Network availability is still low.”