In preparation for Cyclone Biparjoy’s anticipated landfall in Kutch district this evening, over 74,000 residents of Gujarat’s coastal region have been relocated to shelters. In a number of the state’s districts, advisories in the colours red and orange have been issued.
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Cyclone Biparjoy is currently less than 200 km from the Gujarat shore. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), it will pass through Saurashtra, Kutch, and the neighbouring Pakistani beaches between Mandvi and Karachi close to Jakhau Port between 4 and 8 PM.
Biparjoy, which is categorised as a “very severe cyclonic storm” of category 3, is expected to have winds that reach a top speed of 115–125 kmph. In the afternoon, the wind speed is likely to increase, it was stated.
At 02:30 IST on June 15, 2023, VSCS Biparjoy was over the Northeast Arabian Sea, roughly 200 km west-southwest of Jakhau Port (Gujarat). IMD’s most recent cyclone advisory stated that the storm would “cross Saurashtra and Kutch and adjacent Pakistani coasts between Mandvi and Karachi near Jakhau Port by evening of June 15th as a VSVS.”
The weather office further stated that isolated areas in the Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, and Jamnagar districts are likely to see extremely heavy rainfall as cyclone Biparjoy approaches the coast. The government relocated residents from roughly 120 villages in Kutch region that were between 0 and 10 kilometres from the coast.
The State Emergency Operation Centre in Gandhinagar hosted a meeting today to evaluate the cyclone preparedness under the leadership of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. According to the government, 74,345 people have so far been relocated to makeshift shelters in eight coastal districts including Kutch, Jamnagar, Morbi, Rajkot, Devbhumi Dwarka, Junagadh, Porbandar, and Gir Somnath.
In various coastal districts, there are 18 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 12 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), 115 teams of the State Road and Building Department, and 397 teams of the State Electricity Department.
The Navy is also prepared due to the impending hurricane. The Indian Navy announced in a statement that four ships with Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) bricks aboard are ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. According to the report, 15 relief teams have been stationed at Valsura to help civic authorities, with five relief teams each at Porbandar and Okha.
Fishing operations have been postponed till tomorrow (June 16), ports are closed, and ships are anchored as the sea became choppy and the weather turned foul due to the coming cyclone, with the area experiencing unusually heavy rainfall and strong gusts.
In order to safeguard the safety of passengers and railway operations, 76 trains, according to the Western Railway, have been cancelled as a precaution. According to another notice, the two most well-known Gujarati temples, Somnath Temple in Gir Somnath district and Dwarkadhish Temple in Devbhumi Dwarka, will be closed on Thursday to pilgrims.
Low-lying portions of the districts that are expected to be affected by the landing are likely to be flooded by a storm surge that is between two and three metres above the astronomical tide. The IMD has warned that the tides in some locations could surge by up to 3-6 metres. Following ‘Tauktae’ in May 2021, this will be the state’s second hurricane in two years.
