New Delhi: Gujarat’s Kutch will be the most impacted by Cyclone Biparjoy which will make landfall Thursday evening and continue till night.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the very severe storm was moving in the northeast direction and will directly hit Kutch and the Pakistan coast. “Kutch will witness extremely heavy rains and gusty winds,” he said.
The wind speed will be 115 to 125 kilometres per hour, he said, adding the rains have started and it had become very windy already in the afternoon.
High tidal waves and heavy rainfalls are also expected in all coastal districts of Gujarat after Biparjoy hits the Jakhau port.
The IMD chief said coastal districts like Porbandar and Dwarka would have high wind speeds, very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, and high tides up to three metres.
Teams from the national and state disaster response forces were on alert on the coast, particularly in Kutch’s Mandvi and Naliya towns which are likely to be affected.
The services and the coast guard were also prepared to assist the local population in relief rehabilitation.
The Army has deployed more than 27 relief columns across Gujarat as well as the forward locations of Mandvi and Dwarka.
Nearly 94,000 people from 120 coastal villages have been moved to safer areas. All flights have also been suspended at Jamnagar airport.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman has said the cyclone had “slowed down but its core remained intense”. She said it would not make landfall — between Gujarat and Sindh’s Keti Bandar — before dark.
Also read: Cyclone Biparjoy moving towards Saurashtra-Kutch coast, landfall by today evening, says IMD