Strong winds accompanied by heavy rains lashed the Kutch and Saurashtra coasts in Gujarat, uprooting several trees and electric poles, as Cyclone Biparjoy made the landfall on Thursday evening. Two persons died in Bhavnagar while three others sustained injuries in Devbhoomi Dwarka district.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the landfall process of the cyclone started at 4.30 pm and will be completely by midnight. "The eye of the cyclone is around 50 km in diametre. Biparjoy is marching ahead with a speed of 13-14 kmph. Thus, it will take around five hours for the wall cloud and the eye to completely cross into the land," IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.
According to the weather agency, the cyclone was centered over north Arabian Sea but it was coming closer to the Saurashtra coast with a wind speed of 115-125 kmph, gusting to 140 kmph,
Nearly one lakh people have been evacuated from vulnerable areas as multi-agency response teams remain alert for relief and rescue effort.
Destructive wind force uprooted many trees and electric polls near Jakhau and Mandvi towns of Kutch as tin sheets and plastic shades were blown away. A father and son died while trying to save their cattle from drowning near Bhandar village in Bhavnagar
"Three persons sustained injuries in Devbhoomi Dwarka district after a tree fall and they are being treated. Teams of the Gujarat police, the NDRF and the Army are working at ground level in different parts of Dwarka to remove uprooted trees and electric poles," Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said.
The IMD data shows Biparjoy has become the cyclone with the longest lifespan in the Arabian Sea. The life period of Biparjoy, which developed over the southeast Arabian Sea at 5.30 am on June 6, is about 10 days and 12 hours so far. The extremely severe Cyclone Kyarr of 2019 over the Arabian Sea had a life of 9 days and 15 hours.
The IMD had earlier issued warnings about extensive damage to temporary housing structures and falling of trees and branches due to high speed winds, high tides and heavy rainfall.
"Sea conditions will remain disturbed in the northeast Arabian Sea due to cyclone 'Biparjoy'. All fishing operations should remain suspended. Offshore activities, port and industrial activities and oil explorations should be regulated today," it said.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel chaired a meeting at the state emergency operation centre in Gandhinagar in the morning to review the preparedness.
In Kutch district alone, more than 46,000 people have been shifted to safer locations while all pregnant women were shifted to hospitals. “Our aim is to ensure zero casualties. I urge people to stay safe wherever they are and avoid travel at this time," State Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said.
"Of 94,427 persons evacuated so far, 46,800 were evacuated in Kutch district, followed by 10,749 in Devbhumi Dwarka, 9,942 in Jamnagar, 9,243 in Morbi, 6,822 in Rajkot, 4,864 in Junagadh, 4,379 in Porbandar and 1,605 in Gir Somnath district," said an official release.
A state government spokesperson said that 1,521 shelter homes have been set up on a war footing. People have also been moved to 76 multipurpose cyclone centres in eight districts that are likely to be affected by the cyclone.
Fifteen teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 12 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed for the rescue and relief operations. Personnel of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, Indian Coast Guard and Border Security Force (BSF) have also been deployed.
"Indian army has deployed more than 27 relief columns across Gujarat and the forward locations of Mandvi, and Dwarka. Army personnel have jointly started relief operations with civil administration as well as NDRF teams," Wing Commander N. Manish, Defence PRO and spokesperson, MoD of Gujarat, said.
In Kutch, educational institutions will remain closed till June 17. Majority of the temples of Kutch and Saurashtra regions like the Dwarka Temple, Somnath Temple and Mata No Madh will remain closed for at least two days.
In Ahmedabad, Sabarmati Riverfront has been closed for the pedestrians.
The Western Railway has cancelled 76 trains, short-terminated 36 services and short-originated 31 services as a precautionary measure for passenger safety and train operations.
Ahead of the cyclone landfall, several parts of Kutch, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Porbandar, Devbhumi Dwarka and Amreli received heavy rainfall ranging from 10-20 millimetres in six hours till Thursday noon.
(With inputs from Nandini Oza)