Cyclone Biparjoy Could Cause 6-Metre Tidal Waves; Planes On Standby: Coast Guard

Cyclone Biparjoy will pack wind speeds of 120-150 kmph when it makes landfall and could cause tidal waves of 5-6 metres, the Coast Guard said today. 

Inspector General Manish Pathak of the Coast Guard told NDTV that resources have been put in place and the maritime force is prepared to tackle the fallout of the cyclone. 500 personnel and 23 disaster relief teams have been put in place, he said. 7 aircraft and 6 helicopters are also on standby. 

"We are ensuring that nobody ventures out to sea. Preparations have been in place since we were alerted. All agencies are working together to minimise the damage from the cyclone," said Mr Pathak.

Listing out the resources deployed by the force, Mr Pathak said a ship, 500 personnel, 29 gemini boats, 8 in-shore patrol vessels, 4 fast patrol vessels, 3 offshore patrol vessels and 200 life jackets have been kept ready. 

3 Dornier aircraft and a Dhruv helicopter are on standby in Gujarat while 4 Dornier aircraft, 4 Chetak helicopters and a Dhruv chopper are on standby in Daman, he said. 

Cyclone Biparjoy is less than 200 km from the Gujarat coast. It will cross Saurashtra and Kutch and the adjoining Pakistan coast between Mandvi and Karachi between 4 and 8 pm, according to the India Meteorological Department. 

The weather office said the intensity of rain will increase as the cyclone approaches the coast, with isolated places in Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts likely to witness extremely heavy rainfall. 

The government said that 74,345 people have been moved to temporary shelters in Kutch, Jamnagar, Morbi, Rajkot, Devbhumi Dwarka, Junagadh, Porbandar and Gir Somnath.