Cyclone Montha: Army Alerted, Precautionary Measures in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
NEW DELHI, Oct 27: The Indian Army has been placed on high alert after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday cautioned that the deep depression over southeast Bay of Bengal and southwest Bay of Bengal has intensified into a cyclonic storm ‘Montha.’
The situation is being closely monitored in coordination with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and respective state governments.
At 11.30 p.m., the storm lay centred over southwest and southeast Bay of Bengal, about 640 km east-southeast of Chennai. The IMD has issued red and orange alerts for 23 of the 26 districts in Andhra Pradesh in view of the cyclonic storm ‘Montha’. Except for the three districts of Anantapur, Kurnool and Sri Sathya Sai, the remaining districts have been issued orange alerts as ‘heavy to very heavy rainfall’ is likely on Monday onwards. There is a possibility of extremely heavy rainfall in the districts where a red alert has been given.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday and assured him of all necessary central aids. Mr Naidu said Mr Modi has assured central assistance to the state to deal with Cyclone Montha, which is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday morning.
The Chief Minister said PM Modi called him earlier in the day to enquire about the intensity of the cyclone and the precautionary measures being taken. According to an official release, the CM briefed the PM about the relief and precautionary measures taken by the state government. The PM in turn assured all necessary support from the Centre.
The IMD has also issued orange and yellow alerts for multiple districts in Telangana under the impact of cyclone Montha on Tuesday. The government said more than 600 boats, including mechanised boats engaged in fishing in the Bay of Bengal, had returned safely to the shore by Monday. Additionally, 142 pregnant women were shifted to nearby government hospitals as a precautionary measure due to the cyclonic storm “Montha.”
As many as 269 relief camps have been opened, with evacuation activities underway mostly along the stretch between Kakinada and Uppada, which witnessed heavy winds and rains on Monday. As many as 40 boats and 140 swimmers have been deployed for the relief operation along the coast, mostly on the Uppada coast. According to sources, more than 14,500 inmates of all the welfare hostels were sent homes.
(Manas Dasgupta)
