As the extremely dangerous cyclonic storm Biparjoy is expected to make landfall between Kutch district and Pakistan’s Karachi on June 15, the Gujarat government is deploying National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force teams in coastal areas and will set up shelters in six districts. Also, PM Modi will hold meeting to review the situation related to Cyclone Biparjoy today.
In its latest bulletin, the India Meteorological Department said the ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’ was very likely to move north-northeast and cross Saurashtra and Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts between Mandvi (Gujarat) and Karachi (Pakistan) by the noon of June 15 as a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ with maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kilometres per hours (kmph) gusting to 150 kmph.
As of Sunday night, the extremely severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy lay about 540 km west of Mumbai, 360 km southwest of Porbandar, 400 km south-southwest of Devbhumi Dwarka, 490 km south-southwest of Naliya and 660 km south of Karachi in Pakistan, it said.
The Gujarat government has begun preparations to deal with the fallout of the cyclone as it will bring very strong wind and heavy rainfall in the region, officials said.
In the upcoming days, it will become evident where the cyclone will make landfall.
According to a statement made on Sunday by a government official, the cyclone is expected to have an impact on the districts of Kutch, Jamnagar, Morbi, Gir Somnath, Porbandar, and Devbhumi Dwarka between June 13 and June 15 and bring heavy rain and extremely high winds that might reach 150 kmph.
The “extremely severe cyclonic storm “Biparjoy,” with a maximum sustained wind speed of 125–135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph, is expected to cross the Saurashtra–Kutch and adjacent Pakistani coasts between Mandvi in Gujarat and Karachi in Pakistan around noon on June 15.
According to Relief Commissioner Alok Pandey, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel met with members of the Army, Navy, Indian Coast Guard, and collectors of coastal districts.
According to him, officials from different agencies have been instructed to plan ahead to lessen the cyclone’s impact on coastal districts and to build collaboration to reduce casualties to a minimum.
Along the coastal areas, teams from the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force have been sent, and several departments, including fisheries, health, and agriculture, have been ordered to coordinate their efforts, according to Pandey.
For individuals who live within a 5–10 km radius of the shore who will be relocated to safer areas, the government will erect shelter buildings in the six districts.
At the meeting, the chief minister gave a directive to all ministries to carry out the most relief and rescue efforts possible in collaboration with the collectors of coastal districts that are anticipated to be affected by the storm, according to Pandey.
Senior ministers who will advise the local administration on how to plan and carry out disaster management activities while taking the potential impact of the cyclone into account have been given the duty of coastal districts by the CM.
According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, the chief minister gave the order for Rishikesh Patel, Kanubhai Desai, Raghavji Patel, Kuvarji Bavaliya, Mulu Bera, Harsh Sanghvi, Jagdish Vishwakarma, and Parasottam Solanki to report to their designated districts.
On June 14 and 15, the IMD has issued heavy rainfall warnings for the districts of Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Junagadh, and Morbi.
On June 14, it’s expected that some areas will see “heavy to very heavy” rainfall, and on June 15, some areas will experience “extremely heavy” rainfall. According to the IMD advisory, the remaining districts in the Saurashtra and north Gujarat regions are also predicted to see very high rainfall on that day.
Between June 13 and 14, wind gusts up to 70 kmph are expected to reach 50 to 60 kmph along and off the beaches of Saurashtra and Kutch.
According to the IMD, a wind speed of 65 to 75 kmph with gusts up to 85 kmph is highly likely to last from June 14’s evening until June 15’s morning, when it will increase to 120 to 130 kmph with gusts up to 145 kmph for the next 12 hours.
At 4:30 on Sunday, the extremely dangerous cyclonic storm “Biparjoy” was moving 8 kmph northeast over the eastern central Arabian Sea.
According to the Met department, it is located approximately 550 kilometres west of Mumbai, 450 kilometres south-southwest of Porbandar, 490 kilometres south-southwest of Dwarka, 570 kilometres south-southwest of Naliya in Kutch, and 750 kilometres south of Karachi in Pakistan.
It predicted that the seas off the coasts of Saurashtra and Kutch would likely be “rough to very rough” through Wednesday and “very rough to high” on Thursday.
The IMD has recommended that all fishing operations in the area be suspended until June 15. It has warned fishermen to stay away from the Saurashtra-Kutch beaches and the central Arabian Sea till Thursday, the northern Arabian Sea from June 12 to June 15, and the north Arabian Sea from June 12 to June 15.
Additionally, it has recommended mariners to return to the coast and prudently manage both offshore and onshore activity.
“In light of the foregoing, state governments are recommended to keep a careful eye on things, check the situation in their regions on a regular basis, and take the necessary precautions. District authorities have been informed in this regard.” stated the IMD
When the storm’s centre (or “eye”) sweeps across the coast, a cyclone is considered to have made landfall after intensifying in the ocean.
