Salt worth Rs 10 cr washed away in flooding due to ‘Cyclone Tauktae’ in Gujarat.
Salt shares worth shut to Rs 10 crore had been washed away at Gujarat’s Little Rann of Kutch (LRK) in flooding that occurred due to cyclone Tauktae, folks concerned in salt manufacturing mentioned on Thursday.
As per a tough estimate, round 3 lakh metric tonnes of salt, which was harvested and stored in the open close to saltpans for transportation, was destroyed by gusty winds, rain and flooding in the LRK area, a part of which falls in Surendranagar.
As the value of 1 metric tonne of salt in the market is between Rs 300 to Rs 350, the loss is estimated round Rs 10 crore, mentioned Bharat Sumera, district coordinator of Agariya Hitrakshak Samiti, an NGO that works for saltpan staff.
April to June is a vital interval for salt farmers, as they begin harvesting salt and hold the inventory prepared for transportation to godowns, he mentioned.
“While around 12 lakh metric tonnes of salt had already been transported to warehouses in Kharaghoda and Zinzuwada, around 3 lakh tonnes were still lying in the saltpans of Surendranagar,” Sumera mentioned.
LRK is a desert unfold throughout 5,000 sq km and main a part of it falls in Surendranagar district.
At least 10,000 folks of Patdi and Dhrangadhra talukas keep in the area for eight months to harvest salt from groundwater by creating saltpans.
May is the height season, when harvested salt is transported to warehouses earlier than monsoon units in.
“To save lives, the administration had evacuated all saltpan workers before the cyclone passed from the district on Tuesday. Since the cyclone brought heavy rains, a large stock of salt got washed away in flood waters. The flooding also destroyed 3,000 saltpans,” Sumera mentioned.
As many as 25 massive photo voltaic panels put in by saltpan staff close to their short-term huts had been additionally broken in the gusty winds and flooding, he mentioned, including that staff will make a illustration to the authorities for compensation.
With 280 lakh tonnes every year, Gujarat accounts for round 80 per cent of the nation’s salt manufacturing, mentioned Bharat Raval, president of the Indian Salt Manufacturers Association.
“The entire LRK region produces around 18 to 24 lakh metric tonnes of salt annually. It is natural that the cyclone may have destroyed the salt kept in the open. Since workers were already evacuated due to safety concerns, there was no one to keep a watch,” he mentioned.
A transparent image in regards to the loss will emerge in the approaching days, he added.
