Gujarat braces for Cyclone Biparjoy; people being shifted to temporary shelters

Gujarat braces for Cyclone Biparjoy; people being shifted to temporary shelters

Kutch: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Gujarat’s Saurashtra and Kutch coasts as cyclone Biparjoy has intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm and is expected to impact the state and Pakistan in the coming days. “Cyclone Alert for Saurashtra & Kutch Coast: Orange Message. ESCS BIPARJOY at 0530IST of today over east central & adjoining NE Arabian Sea near lat 19.2N & long 67.7E, about 380km SSW of Devbhumi Dwarka. To cross near Jakhau Port, Gujarat by noon of June 15,” the Department tweeted early on Monday morning.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting to review the situation related to the cyclone later on Monday, sources said.

According to IMD officials, the cyclone is likely to move nearly northwards till Wednesday morning, then move north-northeastwards and cross Saurashtra and Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts between Mandvi (Gujarat) and Karachi (Pakistan) near Jakhau Port (Gujarat) by Thursday noon as a very severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph.

The IMD predicted that there will be light to moderate rain at most places with heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places over Kutch, Dwarka, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Junagarh and Morbi districts of Saurashtra on Wednesday.

“The intensity of rain would increase with heavy to very heavy rain at a few places and extremely heavy falls at isolated places over Kutch, Dwarka and Jamnagar and heavy to very heavy rain at a few places over Porbandar, Rajkot, Morbi and Junagarh districts of Gujarat on Thursday,” said an IMD official.

“Isolated heavy rain is likely over remaining districts of Saurashtra and north Gujarat region on Thursday, while light to moderate rain at most places with heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places over north Gujarat and adjoining south Rajasthan on Friday.” On Sunday, the IMD had also predicted that the heatwave is likely to persist in isolated pockets over Bihar, Jharkhand and coastal Andhra Pradesh during the next five days.