As the ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ Biparjoy gained strength over the Northeast Arabian Sea and moved towards the north-northwest, nearly 50,000 individuals have been relocated to safer regions across eight districts in Gujarat. The relocation process was expected to be completed by Wednesday evening. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘red alert’ for the Saurashtra and Kutch regions in Gujarat.
Biparjoy, characterized by maximum sustained wind speeds ranging from 125-135 km per hour and gusts up to 150 km per hour, is anticipated to bring heavy rainfall along the Gujarat coastline. At 2:30 am on Wednesday, it was located approximately 350 km west of Porbandar and projected to cross Saurashtra, Kutch, and the adjacent Pakistani coast between Mandavi in Gujarat and Karachi on Thursday evening.
According to the IMD, Biparjoy is expected to cause heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in isolated areas of Kachchh, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Junagarh, and Morbi on Wednesday, with the intensity of rainfall expected to escalate on Thursday.
Extremely heavy rainfall is expected in isolated locations such as Kachchh, Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Rajkot, Morbi, and Junagarh. Additionally, parts of Saurashtra and the north Gujarat region may experience isolated instances of heavy to very heavy rainfall on Thursday.
In preparation for the cyclone’s landfall, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh held discussions with the heads of all three branches of the armed forces to review their preparedness. He assured that the armed forces are ready to support civil authorities in managing any situation or contingency arising from the cyclone.
A total of 18 teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 12 teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed in Kutch, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Rajkot, Jamnagar, and Junagadh. The Relief Commissioner, Alok Pandey, reported that the largest number of evacuees (17,739) came from Kutch, followed by Jamnagar (8,542) and Rajkot (4,497).
To ensure safety, more than 4,000 hoardings have been dismantled ahead of the cyclone. Additionally, 597 teams from the Paschim Gujarat Vij Company Limited have been mobilized to promptly restore power supply after the cyclone subsides.
Furthermore, IMD has issued a storm surge warning for Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Jamnagar, and Morbi districts, cautioning about the risk of inundation in low-lying areas. A storm surge of approximately two to three meters above the astronomical tide is expected during the landfall.
Ravi Gandhi, the Inspector General of the Border Security Force (Gujarat), visited the coastal areas of Bhuj to oversee preparations and assess the readiness to handle any unforeseen circumstances.
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