As many as 105 houses and 36 shanties in various parts of the district, mainly Maval and Mulshi, were damaged partially. (Representational Photo)

WHILE the impact of Cyclone Nisarga was lesser than anticipated, with Pune city and rural areas experiencing moderate rainfall and strong winds, two deaths, several injuries and partial damage to nearly 140 households across Pune district were reported on Wednesday.

A 65-year-old woman, identified as Manjabai Navale, died and three members of her family were injured in Vahagaon village in Khed tehsil, after a wall and a portion of the roof of their house caved in. In another incident, Prakash Mokar (52), of Mokarwadi in Haveli tehsil, died after he was critically injured while trying to hold on to tin sheets on his roof, which were being blown away due to strong winds. Three cattle deaths were also reported in rural areas. Gusty winds, which were not as devastatingly strong as anticipated, led to uprooting of many trees in rural areas. As many as 105 houses and 36 shanties in various parts of the district, mainly Maval and Mulshi, were damaged partially.

Ayush Prasad, chief executive officer of Pune Zilla Parishad, said authorities had started preparations soon after the IMD announced that a low-pressure area had formed in the Arabian Sea and it may lead to a cyclone in western parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat. “We identified all the risky zones. These were areas near the Konkan belt and in Bhor, Mulshi, Maval and Malshej ghats. Another concern was landslide-prone villages, which were alerted and residents were moved to safer structures. The third concern was weaker structures. They were identified in each area,” said Prasad.