Impending danger. IMD warns of extensive damage in three Gujarat districts from cyclone Biparjoy

Warning that cyclone Biparjoy may cause extensive damage in Gujarat’s Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, and Jamnagar districts, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said that it is likely to cross Saurashtra and Kutch in Gujarat and the adjoining Pakistan coasts between Mandvi in Gujarat and Karachi in Pakistan near the Jakhau Port (Gujarat) around the evening of June 15 as a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 125-150 kmph.

Though Biparjoy weakened from an “extremely severe cyclone” to a “very severe cyclone” on Tuesday, its damaging potential could be extensive, IMD’s Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told reporters at a press conference.

“We won’t be surprised if these areas record more than 25 cm of rainfall. Usually, they do not receive such intense precipitation at this time of the year. Therefore, there is a risk of flooding in the low-lying areas,” he said.

The cyclone could lead to extremely heavy rainfall (over 20 cm) at isolated places in Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar and Porbandar districts from June 13-15, the IMD bulletin said.

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Damage to infra, crops

While winds gusting up to 145 kmph have been predicted for all these districts on June 15, Rajkot, Morbi, and Junagarh may receive heavy to very heavy rainfall, potentially causing extensive damage to houses, roads, electricity, and communication poles.

As kharif sowing is yet to start, there is no threat to crops, except in some places where cotton has been planted. Out of about 86 lakh hectares (lh) of normal area under all crops for the kharif season, nearly 1.74 lh has been covered under cotton and about 65,000 hectares under groundnut as of June 12 this year.

Total sowing areas in Rajkot were at 27,800 hectares until Monday; 24,200 hectares in Morbi; 10,300 hectares in Junagadh; 1,900 hectares in Dwarka; 9,500 hectares in Jamnagar; and 13,000 hectares in Porbandar.

High tidal waves

Mohapatra said that IMD expects up to six-metre-high tidal waves in Saurashtra and Kutch coasts, which are likely to inundate low-lying areas in the regions. The State government is believed to be evacuating vulnerable populations of those areas to safer places.

• Also read: Cyclone ‘Biparjoy’: Prime Minister Modi asks officials to ensure safety of humans, animals

The IMD has recommended complete suspension of all activities in the sea — oil exploration, ship movement and fishing — until June 15 as waves could be 10 to 14 metres high in the north-east and the adjoining east-central Arabian Sea. Biparjoy is on course to have the longest lifespan in the Arabian Sea as it developed on June 6.

The extremely severe Cyclone Kyarr of 2019 over the Arabian Sea had a life of nine days and 15 hours. There has been a 52 per cent increase in the number of cyclones in the Arabian Sea, while very severe cyclones have increased by 150 per cent.

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