Jharkhand has ordered an immediate assessment of crop, property and infrastructure damage following Cyclone Arnab, while placing hospitals and district administrations on alert as the state faces forecasts of heavy rain and strong winds.
Minister of State for Disaster Management and Health Irfan Ansari directed deputy commissioners in all 24 districts to conduct field surveys and prepare lists of affected farmers and families. The exercise will cover paddy crops, agricultural land, houses, livestock and public infrastructure, according to a report by the Times of India.
Ansari said the damage assessment would be used to facilitate compensation for affected farmers under existing relief norms. The directions place district administrations at the centre of the immediate response, requiring officials to document damage before relief measures can be processed.
The health department has also been instructed to prepare for a possible increase in weather-related emergencies. Civil surgeons have been asked to keep hospitals and health centres ready, with government hospitals directed to arrange at least 10 additional beds and maintain adequate supplies of medicines, oxygen and emergency equipment.
The preparedness measures specifically include lightning injuries, snakebites and water-borne diseases, which the minister said often accompany prolonged spells of rain. The directions extend beyond hospitals to emergency readiness at health facilities across the state.
District authorities have been asked to closely monitor low-lying areas, flood-prone locations and places vulnerable to landslides. These areas will require timely administrative action as rainfall and strong winds continue, the minister said.
The state’s response combines two immediate administrative tasks: recording losses for possible compensation and maintaining essential services during the weather event. The crop survey is expected to cover agricultural damage as well as losses to homes, livestock and public assets, while health authorities focus on additional beds, supplies and emergency equipment.
The minister’s directions were issued on Thursday amid forecasts of heavy rainfall and strong winds across Jharkhand. Further action will depend on field assessments by the district administrations and the identification of affected families, farmers and damaged public infrastructure.
