BHUBANESWAR: The nor’wester thunderstorm that wrecked havoc in the state capital on Saturday evening is being claimed to be the biggest storm that the city has experienced after Cyclone Fani in 2019.
Despite lasting for just half-an-hour, the storm uprooted over 100 trees while damaging 5,000 others apart from causing power outage in many parts of the city for several hours.
BMC additional commissioner Kailash Chandra Das said at least 40 to 50 per cent of large trees along roads suffered some form of damage. “This was probably the biggest storm the city has experienced after Cyclone Fani. Though the thunderstorm lasted for about an hour, the damage caused to the city’s green cover was extensive,” he said.
According to BMC’s preliminary assessment, around 5,000 trees were damaged, while two to three per cent of them were uprooted. Among the worst-affected stretches include the National Highway corridor, particularly in the Vani Vihar, Acharya Vihar and Jayadev Vihar roads.
“At least 10 major roads, including Tankapani road and the Jayadev Vihar-Kalinga Stadium road, remained blocked for several hours due to fallen trees and debris,” Das said.
He said the scale of the damage could be gauged from the fact that 10 Hyvas, 12 tippers and 25 light commercial vehicles (LCVs) were deployed in multiple shifts to clear the green waste. In many areas, the LCVs had to make five to six trips to transport the debris.
To restore normalcy, the civic body mobilised three tree-cutting teams, six lifting teams, six mechanical sweeping machines and a wood chipper. Teams from the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and Fire Services were also pressed into service.
“In some areas, the BMC even allowed residents to collect damaged tree branches for use as firewood to help clear roads and restore traffic movement at the earliest,” Das said.
BMC officials said some boundary walls and structures were also damaged in the impact of the falling trees during the storm. Zonal deputy commissioners (ZDCs) have been directed to assess the damage and submit detailed reports.
Several slum settlements, including Salia Sahi and Panabaraza basti also suffered damage owing to the storm. Assistance will be provided based on the assessment reports submitted by the zonal deputy commissioners.
“In many areas, BMC teams have not yet been able to clear green waste because it remains inside private properties. Residents can use Safa application to book a vehicle for debris collection in such places,” Das said.
BMC officials said the green waste collected from across the city will be transported to the processing facility of the civic body, where it will be converted into bio-briquettes.
