At least half a dozen districts along Gujarat coastline have been put on high alert as the severe cyclonic storm ‘Biparjoy’ is threatening to make landfall in the next two or three days.
Fishermen out in the Arabian Sea have already started returning to the coast following warnings from the authorities about the waters becoming extremely rough in view of the approaching cyclone.
People living near the coastline are being evacuated to safer areas in the coastal districts like Devbhoomi Dwarka, Porbandar, Kutch, Morbi, Jamnagar and Junagadh.
Though initially cyclone ‘Biparjoy’ was scheduled to make landfall between Kutch district and Karachi port in Pakistan, it is now feared to be taking a north-north-east curve to hit the region between Jakhau and Mandvi ports.
The effects of the cyclone would be felt in Saurashtra peninsula too.
It may be recalled that a similar cyclone had hit Kandla port on 9 June 1998 causing a huge death and devastation.
To minimise the loss and damage to crops and other farm products, State Cooperation Minister Jagdish Panchal has alerted the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) to take adequate precautionary measures.
The ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’ is expected to hit a wind speed of 125-135 kilometre per hour (kmph) which may go up to 150 kmph.
Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have already been dispatched to the coastal districts while schools have been declared closed for the next few days.
The school enrolment drive, a regular programme at this time of the year, has been suspended in the districts likely to be affected by cyclone ‘Biparjoy’.
As per the latest weather forecast, the eye of the cyclone storm was about 320 kilometres south-west of Porbandar on Monday morning and likely to make landfall on Thursday between Mandvi and Jakhau on the Kutch coastline.