Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 12: Both the centre and the Gujarat governments have started taking steps on war-footing to meet any eventuality likely to arise from cyclone “Biparjoy” which has intensified into an “extremely severe cyclonic storm” and heading towards the Gujarat coast. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday, “Biparjoy” is likely to make landfall between Gujarat’s Kutch and Karachi in Pakistan in the afternoon of Thursday with Jakhau port in Kutch district likely to be the most probable point to hit.
Official sources said more than 7,500 people in the likely affected districts in Gujarat have already been moved to safer places while evacuation of the people in the coastal areas would be taken up on war footing from Tuesday while the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has already deployed additional teams in Gujarat and Mumbai to meet any eventuality. With strong winds blowing across the coastal areas, fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea and those at sea have been called back to safe berth, an official statement said. A total of 21,000 boats have been parked so far and a list of all vulnerable villages has been prepared for the purpose of evacuation, it said.
The prime minister Narendra Modi, after being briefed about efforts undertaken to mitigate the impact of the cyclone, directed officials to take every possible measure to ensure that people living in vulnerable locations are safely evacuated. Modi asked officials to ensure maintenance of all essential services with preparedness for their immediate restoration in the event of damages. He also asked them to ensure safety of animals as well.
The Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel had visited the State Emergency Operation Centre on Sunday and reviewed the preparedness of coastal districts to deal with any emergency situation.
The weather office has issued a cyclone alert for Saurashtra and Kutch coasts in Gujarat. “Sea conditions along and off Saurashtra and Kutch coasts will likely remain “rough to very rough” till Wednesday, and very rough to high on Thursday,” the IMD said. “Kutch, Jamnagar, Morbi, Gir Somnath, Porbandar, and Devbhumi Dwarka districts are likely to be impacted by the cyclone with heavy rainfall and very high wind velocity during June 13-15 which may go up to 150 kmph,” it said.
Officials in the Kutch district have started shifting people from low-lying areas to temporary shelters. “We have prepared about shelters to evacuate the people at the villages in the coastal areas,” officials said. The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the seas off the coast of Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Lakshadweep. “The state governments are advised to keep a close watch, monitor the situation in their areas regularly and take appropriate precautionary measures. District authorities are advised accordingly,” it said.
In accordance with international maritime law, ports are required to hoist signals to alert vessels of impending adverse weather conditions. This is done to ensure the safety of maritime activities and to protect vessels and their crew. Flight operations in Mumbai were affected last evening due to inclement weather with cyclone “Biparjoy” gushing over the Arabian Sea. Several flights were cancelled or delayed owing to the weather conditions, while some were forced to abort the landing.
The Pakistan government has also advised authorities in Sindh and Balochistan to remain alert. Rain accompanied by thunder is expected on the coasts of Sindh and Makran from the night of June 13, said Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
The official sources said the NDRF has pre-positioned 12 teams, which are equipped with boats, tree-cutters and telecom equipment, and has kept 15 teams on standby, the PMO said. Around 7,500 people have been shifted to safer places, and a proper evacuation operation will begin from Tuesday for people residing in villages located within a distance of 10 kilometres from the coast in Kutch-Saurashtra districts, officials said.
The Centre has directed the State government to regulate onshore and offshore activities and mobilise evacuation from coastal areas of Saurashtra and Kutch from districts including Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Junagadh and Morbi.
The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) on Monday met and reviewed the preparedness of the Gujarat government and central agencies for the impending Cyclone Biparjoy and assured the State of all help. The India Meteorological Department’s director general briefed the NCMC, chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, about the current status of extremely severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy over the east central Arabian Sea, according to the statement.
Officials said more than 3,000 people were evacuated from 31 villages in Porbandar, while in Devbhumi Dwarka, more than 1,500 people were shifted to safer places. “Some 3,000 people, especially fishermen and labourers working at a port, were shifted in Kandla. Residents of some slums near the sea have also been shifted in Mandvi. Around 23,000 people residing in villages within a radius of 10 km from the coast will be moved to (makeshift) shelter homes from Tuesday,” Kutch collector Amit Arora said.
The extremely severe cyclonic storm over east-central and adjoining northeast Arabian Sea moved northwards with a speed of 7 kmph during past six hours and lay centred at 8 am on Monday about 320 km southwest of Porbandar, 360 km south-southwest of Devbhumi Dwarka, 440 km south of Jakhau Port, 440 km south-southwest of Naliya and 620 km south of Karachi (Pakistan).
In Dwarka, Harshad village experienced the effects of the cyclone. The water from the sea reached the main markets of the village, creating a flooded situation where water found its way into the shops as well.
The Adani Mundra Port issued a Local Warning Signal Number 4, indicating a possible danger to the port and its ships on account of Cyclone Biparjoy. Small ships continue to be in use and the big ships have been instructed to remain at sea.
The city of Navsari in South Gujarat experienced rainfall late at night due to the effects of the cyclone. The rain provided respite from the high temperatures and the heat. It is not currently raining there, however, high-speed winds and high tides hit the Navsari coasts, because of which people have been advised to not go near the coast.
The cyclone was named Biparjoy by Bangladesh. The name means “disaster” or “calamity” in Bengali. As per IMD website, the name was adopted by World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) countries in 2020 and pronounced “Biporjoy.”
