1 cr people affected, around 20,000 mud houses destroyed by YAAS in Bengal: Mamata

Kolkata: Even as very severe cyclone 'Yaas' weakened and moved west-southwest towards Jharkhand with reduced intensity on Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that at least one crore people have been affected by the cyclone in the state, which also damaged nearly three lakh houses.

Addressing the media at Nabanna, Ms Banerjee said though the actual loss of the property was not immediately available but initial reports said there had been huge loss to the agriculture and its allied sector after saline surging waters marooned the affected district.

The chief minister said state suffered extensive damage to agricultural land (due to ingress of salt water), fishery, animal husbandry and horticulture facilities. Around 20,000 mud houses and temporary shelters were either destroyed or damaged.

There had been no report of any loss of human life in Yaas related storms. However, a fisherman drowned when he went for fishing from his temporary shelter at Mandarmani, she said.

Ms Banerjee said over 15 lakh people had been evacuated, three lakh houses damaged and 134 embankments destroyed. High tide in rivers had worsened the impact and an estimated one crore people had been affected. The state has allotted relief material worth Rs.10 crore.

She said villagers have been cautioned against going home, with weather reports still predicting strong wind and heavy rain.

The chief minister said the most damaged areas are adjacent to Digha, a sea resort and hub of fishing industry in Medinipur and Sundarbans in South 24 Parganas.

Ms Banerjee said several roads adjoining the sea beaches in Bengal's Digha lay inundated, with some people seen wading through chest-deep water, as the tourist town and its adjoining places bore the brunt of Cyclone 'Yaas', which made its landfall this morning.

Ms Banerjee would make an aerial review of the affected district on Friday.

The administration's efforts to deal with the disaster were in full swing. The Chief Minister herself was in the control room of Nabanna since last evening.

The chief minister said about 15 lakh 7 thousand 506 people were evacuated to safer places earlier. About 10 million people have been affected by the storm and nearly 3 lakh houses have been damaged.  Scores of dams have been breached in several places including Kultali and Gosaba.

"Salt water has infiltrated the land and caused severe damage to the crop. The fish has also been damaged. The government has sent 1 million tarpaulin, rice and dried food to the relief camps, Ms Banerjee said.

The chief minister said the coastal areas of South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore have been razed to the ground by Yaas. Disasters are more or less going on in all the districts of South Bengal. Even water has accumulated in the areas adjacent to the Ganges like Kalighat, Chetla, Rasbihari in Kolkata.

Water levels of several rivers including Bidyadhari in Hooghly district and Rupnarayan have risen owing to Yaas and accompanying storm surge.

The cyclone Yaas has put the Kolkata port authorities on tenterhooks for some time as the rising water of the Hooghly river surpassed the height of the external lock gate of its Haldia Dock System, leading the draught level to go up to around eight metres today, an official said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said it rescued three people from drowning in the lake in Satilpur village of East Medinipur district during super Cyclone Yaas.

Indian Army rescued locals from waterlogged areas in Talgachari, East Midnapore

Indian Coast Guard response team rescued about 100 stranded people through air cushion vehicle in Nayachara village. Rescue operation also underway at Contai. (UNI)