Cyclone Nisarga expected to hit Mumbai on June 3; states on alert

The storm will cross Maharashtra and Gujarat coasts late in the evening on June 3

India-cyclone-IMD-INSAT-satellite An INSAT 3D image of India taken on Sunday evening | Indian Meteorological Department

Cyclonic storm Nisarga is expected to hit the Mumbai coast on June 3, with the state of Maharashtra on high alert. Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray through video conference and took stock of the state's preparedness to tackle any eventuality.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday said the low-pressure area formed over the Arabian Sea has intensified into a depression and it will further intensify into a cyclonic storm in the next 36 hours. It said the the cyclonic storm will cross north Maharashtra and south Gujarat coasts late in the evening on June 3.

It could intensify into a "severe cyclonic storm" in the next 24 hours, the IMD said on June 2, reported NDTV.  

Maharashtra

Ten units of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in vulnerable districts, while six others have been kept on a stand-by. Steps are being taken to ensure there is no disruption of power supply at a time when the state is battling the coronavirus crisis and thousands of patients are undergoing treatment in various hospitals. Adequate precautions are being taken to safeguard chemical and atomic energy plants located in coastal Palghar and Raigad districts.

Thackeray, in a statement, said an alert has been sounded in Mumbai city, Mumbai suburban district, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts. The state Disaster Management and Relief and Rehabilitation department is also geared up to face the cyclone, he said.

Fishermen have been asked to come back from the sea and respective district collectors have been asked to ensure there is no loss of life, the statement said.

In low-lying areas of Mumbai, slum-dwellers will be shifted to safer places. Non-COVID hospitals will be made available for those needing medical assistance. Thackeray asked authorities to examine if field hospitals can be shifted to safer places. He also asked for generators to be kept in hospitals so that patients do not suffer in case of disruption in power supply.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday said the low-pressure area formed over the Arabian Sea has intensified into a depression and it will further intensify into a cyclonic storm in the next 36 hours.

It said the the cyclonic storm will cross north Maharashtra and south Gujarat coasts late in the evening on June 3.

Gujarat:

In anticipation of a cyclonic storm making landfall on the Gujarat coast on June 3, the state government on Monday ordered evacuation of people living in low-lying areas and deployed 10 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in over half a dozen districts. 

"The [low-pressure] system is around 900km away from Surat at present. We expect the cyclonic storm to hit the southern Gujarat coast near Daman on June 3 evening with a wind speed of 90 to 100 km per hour. It will bring heavy rainfall in the south Gujarat region on June 3 and 4. It may have some impact in Bhavnagar and Amreli districts of the Saurashtra region as well," said Director of MET Centre Jayanta Sarkar.

In view of the cyclonic activity over the Arabian Sea, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Monday chaired a high-level meet in Gandhinagar to assess the preparedness of the state machinery to tackle all eventualities. Following the meeting, Rupani said 10 teams of the NDRF have already taken position in five districts of south Gujarat and Bhavnagar and Amreli districts of Saurashtra to deal with any situation arising out of the cyclone. These five districts of south Gujarat are Surat, Bharuch, Navsari, Valsad and Dang.

-Inputs from PTI

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