Cyclone Biparjoy: 400 Pregnant Women Shifted To Healthcare Centres In Gujarat

Cyclone Biparjoy is in the coastal areas of Gujarat and now has weakened into a cyclonic storm heading toward Rajasthan. Biparjoy means to be a "disaster" (in Bengali) cyclone. Gujarat's evacuation has been fighiting Cyclone Biparjoy, so far there has been zero casualties. The district administration of Devbhumi Dwarka managed to evacuate pregnant women and shift to nearby healthcare centres. 

The brewing cyclone in Arabian Seas affected the coastal areas of Gujarat and has now been weakened from a "very severe" to a "severe" cyclone after hitting the landslide in Gujarat's coastal area. The cyclone has moved from sea to land and now has been reduced to a cyclonic storm centred towards Saurashtra Kutch and is expected to be moving to Rajasthan next bringing rains to the area. 

Evacuation Ahead Of Cyclone Biparjoy

While the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued many warnings for the severe cyclone, Devbhumi Dwarka is significant as it prepared for the landfall evacuations hit by cyclone Biparjoy. Amidst the evacuations, the district administration of this low-lying coastal area was moving all the pregnant ladies due to deliver by 20 June to a safer location. Since a week preceding the cyclone, the district administration had been into evacuation plans, and claimed to have evacuated 400 such women to nearby healthcare centres out of which over 190 has also delivered their newborn safely. 

District collector Ashok Sharma told Indian Express, that during the meeting of evacuation plans last week, the healthcare department suggested shifting pregnant women in advanced stages nearing their due dates to healthcare centres and hospitals to avoid crises later. District Collector also told that ASHA workers in all villages went and identified each pregnant woman with due delivery by 20 June and personally convinced the women to shift to healthcare centres. There were some women for whom authorities had to be used as they were not shifting due to no prior signs of the cyclone, District Collector told. 

About 190 women have safely delivered their babies since last week and there have been no causalities reported due to the Cyclone Biparjoy yet.

Image Credit: Indian Express

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