New Delhi: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray today appealed to the people of Mumbai to "stay indoors" as Cyclone Nisarga has been forecast by the weather office to make landfall in the state's coast tomorrow.
The cyclone that formed due to a low pressure area in the Arabian Sea comes at a time when the state with the highest number of coronavirus cases in India has been struggling to deal with an overburdened healthcare infrastructure. Any damage left in the wake of the cyclone will add more stress and could complicate the fight against COVID-19.
The Chief Minister asked the residents of Mumbai to be prepared to face possible power cuts as strong winds hit the city. He asked them to charge their gadgets and if possible, keep emergency lights handy.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said that tropical cyclone Nisarga has headed for the Maharashtra coast, and is going to make landfall on June 3 close to Mumbai.
"Depression over east-central Arabian Sea lay near latitude 14.4deg N and longitude 71.2deg E about 300 km west-southwest of Panjim, 550 km south-southwest of Mumbai and 770 km south-southwest of Surat," the IMD added.
The organisation has advised, "fishermen not to venture into the southeast Arabian Sea, Lakshadweep area and along and off Kerala coast during next 48 hours; east-central Arabian Sea and along with off Karnataka-Goa coasts till June 3 east-central the Arabian Sea along and off Maharashtra coast and the northeast Arabian Sea along and off Gujarat coast during June 3-4."
Yesterday, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said it has positioned nine teams in vulnerable districts - three in Mumbai, two in Palghar, one in Thane, one in Raigad, one in Ratnagiri and one in Sindhudurg.
Here are the live updates on Cyclone Nisarga:
Jun 03, 2020 07:01 (IST)
20 NDRF teams deployed in Maharashtra
Twenty teams of NDRF have been deployed in the state of Maharashtra to tackle the cyclone Nisarga. Here's a breakup:
1. Mumbai 8 teams
2. Raigad 5 teams
3. Palghar 2 teams
4. Thane 2 teams (1 enroute)
5. Ratnagiri 2 teams
6. Sindhudurg 1 team
Jun 03, 2020 03:41 (IST)
Eight Special Trains To Mumbai Rescheduled
Considering the impending threat posed by Cyclone Nisarga, which is likely to hit Mumbai on June 3, the Central Railways rescheduled eight trains which were supposed to arrive or depart from the state capital on Wednesday.
The timings of 02542 LTT-Gorakhpur, 06345 LTT-Thiruvananthapuram, 01061 LTT-Darbhanga, 01071 LTT-Varanasi, 01019 CSMT-Bhubaneshwar special trains, which were scheduled to leave Mumbai area during daytime, were changed to night, according to the Central Railways.
Similarly, special trains from Patna, Varanasi, and Thiruvananthapuram, which were scheduled to reach during the daytime, were regulated and will now arrive in Mumbai behind schedule.
Jun 03, 2020 01:13 (IST)
Mumbai Airport Cancels 31 Out Of 50 Scheduled Flights
Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) will be operating a total of 19 flights, which include 11 departures and 8 arrivals, on June 3.
The flights will be operated by 5 airlines which include Air Asia India, Air India, IndiGo, GoAir and SpiceJet.
There could be changes to the schedule and passengers are requested to check the schedule with their respective airline before leaving for the airport, the airport said in a statement.
Jun 02, 2020 23:45 (IST)
10 NDRF teams join Cyclone Nisarga relief operations: NDRF chief
5 NDRF teams each from Bathinda and Vijaywada airlifted successfully for joining ongoing operations for Cyclone Nisarga in Gujarat and Maharashtra respectively. 5 teams for Gujarat already landed in Surat. 5 teams for Maharashtra airborne: NDRF Director General SN Pradhan tells news agency ANI.
Jun 02, 2020 23:13 (IST)
Cyclone Nisarga: Cyclonic storm centred over East-central Arabian Sea
The Cyclonic storm Nisarga over East-central Arabian Sea moved north-northeastwards with a speed of 13 kmph during the past six hours.
"The cyclonic storm lay centred at 5.30 pm today over East-central Arabian Sea near latitude 16.3degN and longitude 71.3degE, about 280 km west-northwest of Panjim (Goa), 350 km south-southwest of Mumbai (Maharashtra), 300 km south-southwest of Alibaug (Maharashtra) and 560 km south-southwest of Surat (Gujarat)," India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Jun 02, 2020 18:31 (IST)
Cyclone Nisarga likely to make landfall near Alibaug tomorrow
