Cyclone Biparjoy 80KM From Gujarat Coast; Landfall Between 6PM & 8PM

Bhubaneswar: Cyclone Biparjoy was about 80km from Jakhau Port and 130km from Devbhumi Dwarka in Gujarat at 4.30 pm on Thursday. The landfall process will commence near Jakhau Port this evening and continue till midnight, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed.

Red alert as cyclone warning has been sounded for Saurashtra & Kutch coasts.

“The landfall process will start in the evening and continue till midnight. Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is expected and chances of inundation is also there. Those residing in the high alert places must not venture out,” IMD DG Dr Mrityunjay Mohapatra told the media.

Kutch region expected to face the maximum brunt of Biparjoy. “There can be extreme rainfall, wind speed of 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph while tidal surge of 2-3 metre can inundate coastal areas. The powerful wind can cause structural damage,” he said.

The following damage is expected across Gujarat, particularly in the Kachchh, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Morbi, Junagarh and Rajkot:

• Total destruction of thatched houses, extensive damage to kutcha houses, and some damage to pucca houses
• Potential threat from flying objects
• Bending or uprooting of power and communication poles
• Major damage to kutcha and pucca roads, flooding of escape routes
• Disruption of railways, overhead power lines and signalling systems
• Widespread damage to standing crops, plantations, orchards, falling of green coconuts and tearing of palm fronds; Blowing down of bushy trees like mango
• Small boats and country crafts may get detached from moorings
• Visibility could be severely affected due to salt spray

The impact will be felt the most in Gujarat’s Porbandar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Kachchh, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Junagarh and Morbi districts. Thereafter, squally winds touching speeds of 50-60 kmph, gusting to 70 kmph, will prevail along and off the remaining districts of the Saurashtra coast on Friday, the IMD DG added.

“We are expecting landfall to take place between 6 pm and 8 pm. Anticipating the situation post that, we have kept around 15 ships and 7 aircraft on standby. We have also kept 4 special Dornier and 3 helicopters at Coast Guard Station in Daman. We will deploy them if necessary,” said Inspector General AK Harbola, Commander, Indian Coast Guard, Region (Northwest).

According to reports, nearly 1 lakh people — including about 1,100 pregnant women and 9,000 children — have been evacuated from the coastal areas and moved to safer shelters. Commercial flight operations at Jamnagar airport in Gujarat has been temporarily halted until Friday as a precautionary measure.

Biparjoy is likely to trigger extremely heavy downpours (more than 224.5 mm) in isolated parts of Kachchh, Devbhumi Dwarka and Jamnagar; and heavy to very heavy rains (115.5 mm-224.5 mm) at a few places in Porbandar, Rajkot, Morbi, Junagarh and the remaining districts of Saurashtra and north Gujarat region on Thursday.

Thereafter, heavy to extremely heavy rainfall (from 64.5 mm to more than 224.5 mm) may occur at isolated parts of North Gujarat on Friday and Saturday (June 16-17), the IMD said.