Cyclone Biparjoy expected to make delayed landfall in Gujarat: Official

Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to make a delayed landfall on Gujarat coast today as the wind speed has decreased, a senior official said on Thursday.

“According to the meteorological department, the storm is now expected to hit the coast around 9pm and 10pm on Thursday as the speed has slowed down. The wind speed is likely to be 115-125 kmph when the possible cyclone hits the ground. Only the speed of the storm has decreased, but since the crisis is not yet averted, the administration is keeping a vigil by making full preparations as part of the precautionary measures,” according to a government press release which quoted Gujarat relief commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the landfall process is expected to begin around 8pm.

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“Landfall process will begin this evening (before 8pm), possibly between 6 to 7pm. Landfall process takes a few hours to be completed and may continue until midnight. The region where landfall will take place doesn’t have uniform coast, it’s more like a gulf so landfall process will take time. The size of the total system is huge, about 300km in diameter, core wind area is 100km in diameter. It is a very severe cyclone and is expected to maintain the same intensity,” said Ananda Das, in charge of cyclones at IMD.

Read: Cyclone Biparjoy: List of trains cancelled by Western Railway

Moderate rain (5-15 mm/hour) accompanied with light thunderstorms with maximum surface wind speed less than 40 kmph (In gusts) very likely in the district of Gujarat State namely Dwarka, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Morbi, Rajkot, Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Gir Somnath and Kutch during next 3 hours, IMD said.

Despite the reduction in intensity, authorities in the state remain cautious.

The state administration has remained steadfast in its commitment to maintaining a high level of preparedness, ensuring all necessary measures are in place as part of precautionary measures, the official added.

Gujarat chief minister Bhupendrabhai Patel underlined the need for proactive measures in the face of potential risks posed by Cyclone Biparjoy and directed all relevant departments and agencies.

The state government along with the army, navy, State Reserve Defense Force (SRDF), National Reserve Defense Force (NRDF) and Coast Guard, have launched a collective effort to mitigate the effects of the cyclone and ensure the safety of the affected population.

Read: Cyclone Biparjoy: Netizens share scary visuals of the violent storm

Over 94,000 people residing in the cyclone-prone areas of the eight affected districts have been successfully shifted to safer locations, the Gujarat government said in a media statement.

The evacuated individuals include 46,823 in Kutch, 4,864 in Junagadh, 9,942 in Jamnagar, 4379 in Porbandar, 10,749 in Devbhoomi Dwarka, 1605 in Gir Somnath, 9243 in Morbi and 6,822 in Rajkot.

Keeping in view the safety and security of wildlife, about 180 teams have been prepared by the Gujarat forest department.

Apart from this, instructions have also been given to keep cattle sheds open in residential areas.