Cyclone Biparjoy hit the Gujarat coast in the Saurashtra-Kutch region at 6.30 PM on Thursday. The cyclone, which was moving laterally at 10-15 kmph, lashed the coastal regions with wind speeds of up to 130 kmph. The Saurashtra region comprises Dwarka, Jamnagar, Morbi, Rajkot, Porbandar, Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Botad, Surendranagar, and parts of Ahmedabad. Kutch is the largest district of India.
Here are the latest developments around Cyclone Biparjoy:
- The cyclone wreaked havoc in Gujarat’s Devbhoomi Dwarka district, causing several incidents of tree falls and injuring at least three people. The destructive winds and relentless rainfall accompanied the cyclone as it made landfall on the Kutch coast on Thursday evening.
- Officials reported numerous uprooted trees and electricity poles near the towns of Jakhau and Mandvi in Kutch district. Additionally, tin sheets used in house construction were blown away by the strong winds. In Dwarka reports of walls collapsing also came to the fore.
- As of 7 pm, there were no reported fatalities, according to Gujarat’s Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi. He was quoted as saying by news agency PTI that three individuals in Devbhoomi Dwarka district had sustained injuries from falling trees and were currently receiving medical treatment. Teams, comprising the Gujarat Police, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the Army, were deployed across Dwarka to clear the uprooted trees and restore electricity poles.
- The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed that the landfall process will be completed by midnight.
- Dwarka, Okha, Naliya, Bhuj, Porbandar, and Kandla, situated along the Gujarat coasts, experienced heavy rainfall since Thursday morning. The coastal areas also encountered strong winds, reaching speeds of over 100 kmph. MeT Director in Ahmedabad Manorama Mohanty said,”Currently, the wind speed is between 115 to 125 kmph, it can also go up to 140 km per hour. By midnight, wind speed might decrease.”
- Wind speed will slow down from tomorrow morning. The cyclone’s wind speed is likely to reduce to 70 kmph-80 kmph by tomorrow morning. “The IMD has predicted that Cyclone Biparjoy will turn into a depression by noon tomorrow (June 16), and its speed will decrease to less than 40 kmph. There is a possibility of minimal damage,” says NDRF IG Narendra Singh Bundela.
- So far, more than one lakh people have been evacuated, half of whom were from Kutch district alone. The NDRF, in collaboration with the state government, has deployed 18 teams primarily in Kutch. The SDRF, army, and BSF have also deployed teams to support evacuation, rescue, and relief operations.
- Ahead of the landfall of Cyclone Biparjoy, commercial flight operations were suspended in Gujarat’s Jamnagar airport till Friday. A NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) has been issued from 1.30 pm on June 14 to June 16 midnight. “No commercial flights are currently in operation and only emergency and relief flights are allowed,” says DK Singh, airport director, Jamnagar.