Watch video: India coast on high alert before Cyclone Biparjoy expected to make landfall

Mandvi: The coastal region of India was on high alert Wednesday with tens of thousands of people being evacuated a day ahead of a cyclone’s expected landfall.

The India Meteorological Department said Cyclone Biparjoy was packing sustained winds of up to 145 kilometers per hour and was projected to make landfall near Jakhau port in the Kutch district of India’s Gujarat state on Thursday.

Residents living within 5 kilometers of the coast in Gujarat were evacuated, and those living within 10 kilometers may also have to leave, officials have said.

Five people have been killed so far in incidents related to the cyclone, including three boys who drowned off Mumbai’s coast and a woman who was killed in an accident caused by strong winds in Gujarat. Rescuers were searching for another person who drowned off Mumbai.

Experts say climate change is leading to an increase in cyclones in the Arabian Sea region, making preparations for natural disasters all the more urgent.

The Press Trust of India news agency said nearly 50,000 people have been evacuated to relief camps in Gujarat. Nikhil Mudholkar from the National Disaster Response Force, who was overseeing relief operations in Devbhoomi Dwarka district along Gujarat’s coast, said they were fully prepared and were now in waiting mode.

“We have deployed 23 teams and have moved everyone living near the coast to safer ground,” Mudholkar said. “Windspeeds have picked up now and rains have started too.”

The cyclone has “extensive damaging potential” and is likely to impact the Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts the most, India’s meteorological department says.

Fishing activities have been suspended until Friday and all ports in the region have been shut. Dozens of trains and flights were diverted or cancelled.

On Tuesday, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah announced a budget of $972 million for disaster management.

Armed forces prepared

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that the Indian Armed Forces are prepared to provide any assistance in tackling Cyclone Biparjoy.

“I spoke to all three service chiefs and reviewed the preparedness of the armed forces for the landfall of Cyclone Biparjoy,” the Defence Minister said.

He said that the armed forces are ready to provide every possible assistance to the civil authorities in tackling any situation or contingency due to the cyclone.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviews preparedness

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday reviewed the preparedness measures being taken as cyclone ‘Biparjoy’ approaches Kutch.

Cyclone Biparjoy, categorised as a “very severe cyclonic storm”, is expected to make landfall in the Gujarat coast tomorrow.

The Union Health Minister visited the Bhuj Air Force Station today to take stock of the preparations made by the ‘Garuda’ Emergency Response Team of the Indian Air Force.

After undertaking the review, Mansukh Mandaviya said, “Our jawans are fully prepared for the safety of life and property from the cyclone.”

Dr Mandaviya later visited the KK Patel Super Speciality Hospital in Bhuj to assess emergency preparedness.

He also reviewed the availability of oxygen, ventilators and critical care beds in Kutch district government hospitals, trust-run hospitals and other regional hospitals.

The Union Health Minister also reviewed the preparations for health facilities that will be made immediately available if needed, post the cyclone.

Warming in Arabian Sea

A recent study shows that the Arabian Sea has warmed up by almost 1.2 degrees Celsius since March this year, making conditions favourable for severe cyclones, he said.

“The oceans have become warmer already on account of climate change,” said Raghu Murtugudde, an Earth system scientist at the University of Maryland.

Another study, in 2021, found that the frequency, duration and intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea increased significantly between 1982 and 2019, he said.

Cyclone Tauktae in 2021 was the last severe cyclone that made landfall in the region. It claimed 174 lives, a relatively low figure, thanks to extensive preparations ahead of the storm.

In 1998, a cyclone that hit Gujarat state claimed more than 1,000 lives and caused extensive damage.

- with inputs from ANI , IANS