Mangaluru : A joint bulletin on ocean state forecast issued by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services and the India Meteorological Department said on Sunday that high waves on the Karnataka coast (due to Cyclone Ockhi) are likely to continue till 11.30 p.m. on December 4.

“Waves with maximum height in the range of 5.1 m-6.3 m are forecast between 3.30 p.m. on December 3 and 11.30 p.m. on December 4 off the coast of Karnataka from Mangaluru to Karwar. Current speeds vary between 36-61 cm/sec,” it said. Meanwhile, fishing boats have been anchored in the Old Port in Mangaluru, at Malpe in Udupi and in Karwar.

Khader said on Saturday night, due to Cyclone Ockhi, eight houses were partially damaged and two houses were completely washed away by cyclonic waves. He said there were, however, no casualties reported. All these houses were close to the sea in Ullal.

Two houses – belonging to Everest Alphonso and Avil Monteiro – were completely washed away on Saturday night and they were given temporary compensation of Rs 1 lakh. The government will make arrangements to provide them alternative land to build houses and additional compensation, in the coming days. Those whose houses are partially damaged will also be given compensation after assessing the extent of damage, said Khader.

He said several families, who are staying close to the sea, have been relocated to other places after ingress of sea water late on Saturday night. Around 30 families have been shifted to a school in Talapady and a Ganji Kendra was opened at the spot. Some are also taking shelter in Ullal Mosque.

Khader said elaborate arrangements including food have been made at the oldest mosque, and people irrespective of which religion they belong to, are asked to make use of it.

The minister pointed out that hundreds of houses were saved in Ullal due to the sea erosion project. “Stones put across the sea coast, successfully stopped heavy waves from entering into the area of human habitat.”

Earlier, Khader visited the cyclone-affected areas in Ullal and Someshwar and assured of providing the necessary help to affected families. Ullal, Someshwar, Uchila, Mogaveerapatna and Khiliria were lashed by massive waves from late on Saturday night.

According to sources, four houses in Uppala, in Kasaragod, close to sea were washed away and sea erosion was reported in the area. In Ullal, a party had to be cut short after the boundary wall of a resort near Ullal collapsed, and water gushed inside the premises, forcing the party-goers to vacate the premises around 9.30pm.
Good turnout at Panambur on Sunday

Saturday night’s incident did not deter crowds at the Panambur beach on Sunday. Yatish Baikampady, CEO, Panambur Beach Tourism Development Project (PBTDP), said the situation at sea was better —but not calmer—than Saturday. “On Saturday the sea started getting unusually rough after 8pm, and the water came 30 meters more inland than usual. I was watching the sea till 1.30 am, and it was still rough. We heard that Baindoor (Udupi District) is experiencing a similar rough sea pattern on Sunday,” said Yatish.

After news of Cyclone Ockhi broke across the coast late on Saturday evening, officials said the public in hordes, swarmed to the seashore. A fire official said a group of youths from Udupi were spotted around 3.30am near Someshwar. They had come all way to watch giant waves and were clicking selfies. “Considering the intensity of the problem, the public must cooperate with the authorities with rescue and rehabilitation work. Things go out control when crowds gather across the sea shore,” said officials, requesting the public and tourists to not go to the shore.
Fishing stopped

All the fishing boats including trawlers have been anchored in ports due to Cyclone Ockhi. A senior Coast Guard official, said, “Depending upon the condition of the sea , fishing activities may be resumed only after 4-5 days. All the boats, even from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Goa, have been allowed to anchor on the Karnataka coast. As per our instructions, all the boats have been moved to shore, and currently no fishing or other boats are sailing in our periphery.”
Sasikanth said they have not received any information about fishing boats being damaged. “We have stopped fishing activities, including traditional fishing from Friday,” said a fisherman

The IMD has predicted that there will be partly cloudy skies with one or two spells of rain or thunder showers till Wednesday. The department also warned fishermen not to venture into the deep sea off the Karnataka and Goa coasts. The Information Services and Ocean Sciences Group had predicted that there is a possibility that low-lying areas may be inundated intermittently because of swell surges in coastal Karnataka.
Helicopters deployed

Khader said due to a request from the district administration, the Indian Coast Guard will deploy four helicopters in Mangaluru. Apart from it, Coast Guard also has four boats on stand-by, in case of any untoward incidents. “We are monitoring the condition of the sea,” he said.