Cyclone Biparjoy highlights | 'Fought calamity without casualty,' Gujarat CM lauds emergency response

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the Cyclonic Storm “Biparjoy” over Saurashtra & Kutch moved nearly northeastwards with a speed of 13 km ph during the past 6 hours and lay centered at 1730 hours IST of Friday, over Kutch and adjoining Pakistan near latitude 24.2°N and longitude 70.3°E, about 30 km northeast of Dholavira, 190 km west of Deesa and 200 km south-southwest of Barmer. 

It is very likely to move nearly northeastwards and weaken further into a deep depression around midnight of today, IMD further said.

"101 trains have been cancelled, 42 trains have been short-terminated, while 39 trains short-originated as a precautionary measure, in view of safety of passengers & train operations with respect to the onset of Cyclone Biparjoy," according to Sumit Thakur, chief public relations officer of Western Railway, ANI reported.

Pakistan’s Sindh province experienced one of the country's deadliest floods last summer, as at least 1,739 people were killed and 330 lakh were displaced, AP reports.

Cyclone Biparjoy caused extensive financial loss to the state power utility Paschim Gujarat Vij Company Limited with 5,120 electricity poles getting damaged, according to officials. As many as 4,600 villages were left without power, but electricity supply was restored in 3,580, PTI reported.

NDRF Director General Atul Karwal said about 1,000 villages facing electricity disruption in the state and 40 per cent of disruptions were in Kutch district alone as it bore the maximum brunt of the cyclone.

A team deployed in Gir East division successfully rescued two lion cubs that had fallen into an open well after getting separated from their mother when Biparjoy made landfall on Thursday evening.

Cyclone Biparjoy forecast to hit the Gujarat coast on Thursday is the only third cyclone in nearly 60 years to hit the western coast. Experts say that the increase in frequency and intensity is indicating the negative impact of climate change.

The Gujarat government had deployed more than 200 teams in Gir forest and Kutch district to respond to emergencies related to Asiatic lions and other wildlife during the landfall of cyclone Biparjoy, an official said on Friday, PTI reported.

Gujarat Minister Rushikesh Patel on Friday said around 54,000 people have been relocated, 80,000 electricity poles have been hit and eight people have been injured in Bhuj town after Cyclone Biparjoy made a landfall in Gujarat, ANI reported.

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Mumbai IMD scientist Sushma Nair said, "On Thursday evening, Biparjoy made landfall over the Gujarat Saurashtra coast. Mumbai has been experiencing very high temperatures because of the effect of cyclonic winds. Now, slowly the southwest-westerly winds will take over so the temperature in Mumbai should come down to the range of 33-35 degrees. Light rains will be brought by westerly winds along the western coast."

The IMD official said the steady onset of the southwest-westerly winds will bring rain to the Konkan coast.

"They will help in bringing light to moderate rainfall over the Konkan coast. That is the prediction we have given for the next four to 5 days along the coast. We are expecting maybe a little more rain in South Konkan and are also expecting rain in North Konkan", she said, ANI reported.

According to the Meteorological office director of Ahmedabad, Manorama Mohanty, the Saurashtra-Kutch region will experience heavy-extremely heavy rainfall, along with Patan and Banaskantha districts. There is a possibility of heavy to very heavy rains in Dwarka, Jamnagar, and Morbi. There may be heavy rains in many districts including Porbandar, and Rajkot. All in all, the entirety of Gujarat is likely to have rain today."

"Extremely Heavy rain is likely in Kutch, Patan, Mehsana, and Banaskantha tomorrow", she added, ANI reported.

The Gujarat Health Minister, Rushikesh Patel, said, "There is no report of loss of human lives in the Kachchh district, till now. Currently, Mundra, Jakhua, Koteshwar, Lakphat and Naliya are witnessing high windspeed and rainfall. Rainfall is also expected in parts of south Rajasthan due to the cyclone Biparjoy. Road clearance work is underway in many parts of the coastal districts," ANI reported.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) says, Cyclone Biparjoy is predicted to weaken into a deep depression over Saurashtra-Kutch, southern Rajasthan and adjoining areas by Friday night.

Thunderstorm with light to moderate intensity rain and gusty winds 30-40 Km/h would occur over and adjoining areas of many places of Delhi ( Vivek Vihar, Red fort, Preet Vihar, Rajeev chauk, ITO, India Gate, Akshardham, Palam, Safdarjung, Lodi Road, Nehru Stadium, IGI Airport, Vasant Vihar, R K Puram, Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Vasant Kunj, Hauzkhas, Malviyanagar, Kalkaji, Mahrauli, Chhattarpur, Ayanagar),( Ghaziabad, Indirapuram, Noida, Dadri, Gurugram, Manesar) Jahangirabad, Anupshahar, Shikarpur, Aligarh, Iglas (U.P.) during next 2 hours.

Cyclone Storm is over Gujarat and is about 800 km away from Delhi.

People in Sindh's coastal city of Keti are now returning to their homes on Friday after the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) confirmed that cyclone Biparjoy has weakened, Geo TV reported.

According to IMD officials, the Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) hit the Kutch coast on Thursday night around 10:30-11:30 pm, about 10 km north of Jakhau Port. It has since weakened into a Severe Cyclonic Storm (SCS) and is predicted to weaken further over the next few hours.