Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a review meeting today as cyclone Biparjoy intensified into an "extremely severe cyclonic storm". The 'extremely severe' cyclonic storm Biparjoy is set to make landfall in Gujarat on Thursday.
The cyclone is very likely to cross Saurashtra and Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts between Mandvi (Gujarat) and Karachi (Pakistan) near Jakhau Port (Gujarat) by Thursday noon as a very severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph.
Meanwhile, flight operations in Mumbai were affected last evening due to rough weather with cyclone Biparjoy gushing over the Arabian Sea. Heavy rain and strong winds were reported in the city as the intensity of cyclone, which has intensified into "extremely severe cyclonic storm", increased.
Here are the Live Updates on Cyclone Biparjoy:
The Mumbai airport is closely monitoring the situation and is prepared to activate all necessary measures to mitigate any potential operational impact in case of inclement weather conditions to facilitate safe operations, it added.
As a result of the inclement weather, passengers are requested to contact their respective airlines for the status of their flights, the airport said.
Talking about the severity of cyclone Biparjoy, Mr Das said that the wind speed at the time of the landfall would be between 125-150 Km/hr.
The Prime Minister chaired a high-level meeting today to review preparedness for cyclone 'Biparjoy', which is expected to make landfall on Thursday morning.
Ensure maintenance of all essential services such as Power, telecommunications, health, drinking water etc. and are restored immediately in the event of damages caused to them, the PM told officials, adding that every possible measure has to be taken to ensure that people living in vulnerable locations are safely evacuated.
The Prime Minister also directed that the safety of animals should also be ensured. He further directed the 24x7 functioning of control rooms.
"Due to Cyclone Biporjay, we have deployed two teams in addition to the already available three teams in Mumbai as a precautionary measure. Further, we have moved four other teams to Gujarat as Cyclone Biporjay is expected to have more impact over there. Additionally, our teams at Pune are also ready," an official statement said.
Fishing activities along Gujarat's south and north coasts have been suspended and authorities began evacuating people in districts by the sea in view of cyclone 'Biparjoy' likely to make landfall along the Saurashtra-Kutch coasts as a very severe cyclonic storm, officials said on Monday.
Officials at Deendayal Port Authority in Kandla at Gujarat's Kutch have started shifting people from low-lying areas to temporary shelters. They have been asked to be on alert in case of any emergency situation.
The cyclone is very likely to cross Saurashtra and Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts between Mandvi (Gujarat) and Karachi (Pakistan) near Jakhau Port (Gujarat) by Thursday noon as a very severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph.
Flight operations in Mumbai were affected last evening due to rough weather with cyclone Biparjoy gushing over the Arabian Sea. Heavy rain and strong winds were reported in the city as the intensity of cyclone, which has intensified into "extremely severe cyclonic storm", increased.