The deep depression in the Arabian Sea has intensified into a cyclonic storm and will cross the north Maharashtra and south Gujarat coasts on June 3, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday.
As cyclone Nisarga is expected to hit Mumbai, Thane and other parts of Maharashtra tomorrow, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has placed 10 teams on standby , while the Mumbai Police have started relocating the homeless to temporary shelters.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has kept its disaster management control room and all necessary departments on high alert. All 24 ward offices have been ordered to relocate people living in flood-prone areas to nearby schools.
Here are the latest updates:
Mumbai airport announced late on Tuesday that it will permit only 8 arrivals and 11 departures on June 3 in wake of the cyclone.
- Aditya Anand
Mumbai's international airport takes preventive measures
In the wake of Cyclone Nisarga, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) convened a meeting with its stakeholders to devise preventive measures to tackle potential adversities accompanied by the cyclone. Stakeholders have been sensitized and advised to follow the standard operating procedures in preparation of the cyclone.
Special precautions have been taken for smaller and lighter aircraft typically used for general aviation as they are vulnerable to strong winds. Some aircraft have flown out of Mumbai until the cyclone passes while others have been asked to park inside the hangar; the airport has ensured that minimum aircrafts are parked on the apron. The airport is closely coordinating with IMD to monitor the progress/dissipation of adverse weather.
Preventive checks at different airport functions have been carried out and the airport has ensured that DG sets are in place to provide uninterrupted power supply. Water pumps have been positioned across the airport to clear water in case of waterlogging.
Food & beverage counters will be operational 24/7 at the airport for passengers. These counters will continue to operate the safety measures adopted against ongoing pandemic.
A dedicated team has been placed on standby at the airport to assist in this wary situation. Some of the measures undertaken by the airport include efficient personnel management to account for the possibility that the relieving team might not be able to reach the airport to take over their shift. Logistical supports like vehicles, food and tea/coffee have been arranged.
- Aditya Anand
Select trains diverted/rescheduled
As per a press release late on Tuesday, the following Special Trains are diverted / rescheduled due to Nisarga cyclone
Diversion of trains :
Train No. 02617 Ernakulam – H. Nizamuddin Special, dated 02/06/2020 is diverted via Madgaon Jn. - Londa – Miraj – Pune – Manmad.
Train No. 06346 Thiruvananthapuram Central – Lokmanya Tilak (T) special dated 02/06/2020 is diverted via Madgaon Jn. - Londa – Miraj – Pune – Kalyan.
Train No. 02432 New Delhi – Thiruvananthapuram Central special dated 02.06.2020 is diverted via Surat – Vasai Road – Kalyan – Miraj – Londa – Madgaon Jn.
Rescheduling of train :
Train No. 06345 Lokmanya Tilak (T) – Thiruvananthapuram Central Special dated 03/06/2020 is rescheduled at 18:00 hrs on 03/06/2020.
- Mumbai bureau
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray holds a press conference on the preparations to combat cyclone Nisarga.
Mr. Thackeray says "Cyclone expected to reach Alibaug by tomorrow afternoon. Winds expected at 100 to 150 kms. We can only pray that the intensity reduces by the time it reaches us."
The Chief Minister says "We are prepared, Armed Forces have been informed. The NDRF has deployed 15 teams and the SDRF has four teams in service. Five more NDRF teams are standing by. Home Minister Amit Shah did a video conference and took stock of the situation. I also got a call from the Prime Minister, who said the central government is with you, and you do not need to worry.
"We were going to resume activities from tomorrow. But tomorrow and day-after are crucial and it is important to stay indoors. Any activities that have already begun need to be suspended for the next two days."
Mr. Thackeray says "We have contacted all fisherfolk in the State and are bringing them back home. They won't be allowed to venture out into the sea for the next two days."
The CM says "Keep your belongings secured. Charge all appliances that run on battery. Pay attention to announcements on Doordarshan and Akashwani. Do not spread or all prey to rumours. Local administrations are in action everywhere. Cooperate with the administration. You will be informed in time in case you need to be relocated.
"Particularly in rural areas, chalk out a space in your house where you will be safest in case of strong winds. Do not go into temporary structures like sheds."
Mr. Thackeray says "The government will keep updating you as and when we get information on its intensity and direction of the cyclone. Let us face this challenge with the same fortitude and presence of mind that we showed with COVID 19."
DoT holds meeting with telcos to assess arrangements
The Telecom Department has taken stock of the readiness and arrangements made by telecom companies for ensuring network connectivity in Maharashtra and Gujarat, against the backdrop of impending cyclone ‘Nisarga’, according to a statement.
“All our infrasructure provider (IP) members have taken necessary steps to ensure connectivity 24/7 in the areas which are likely to be affected by the cyclone and all the background arrangements like additional DG sets, battery banks, spare parts, stocking of diesel are taken care of,” T.R. Dua, Director-General, Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA), said in a statement.
IPs have also deployed additional rescue teams which are kept on standby mode for all major districts likely to get impacted during Nisarga, he said.
In order to ensure telecom connectivity in Maharashtra and Gujarat, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) held a meeting with all the telecom service providers, IPs, TAIPA and COAI, the statement said. The Cellular Operators’ Assocition of India (COAI) is the association for telecom service providers.
Mr. Dua said the industry has urged the Chief Secretaries and DoT to facilitate unrestricted inter-State movement of personnel and material, arrangement of issuing e-passes and availability of diesel supply.
Police issue prohibitory orders near the coastline in Mumbai
The Commissioner of Police, Greater Mumbai issues prohibitory orders u/s 144 of CrPC restricting any presence or movement of persons in public places along the coast like beaches, promenades, parks and other such places near the coastline to prevent loss of life and property. The prohibitory orders will remain in effect from midnight on Tuesday till 12 noon on Wednesday.
Modi assures all support to Maharashtra and Gujarat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke with the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Gujarat over the cyclonic situation in the two states and assured them all possible help from the Centre.
Cyclone Nisarga will cross north Maharashtra and south Gujarat coasts late in the evening on June 3.
Mr. Modi also spoke with the administrator of Daman, Diu Dadra and Nagar Haveli Praful K Patel, the Prime Minister’s Office office said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said the low-pressure area formed over the Arabian Sea has intensified into a depression and it will further intensify into a cyclonic storm.
“PM @narendramodi has spoken to CM of Maharashtra Shri Uddhav Thackeray, CM of Gujarat Shri @vijayrupanibjp and Administrator of Daman Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli Shri @prafulkpatel regarding the cyclone situation,” the PMO tweeted.
Mr. Modi assured all possible support and assistance from the Centre, the PMO said.
Over 21,000 to be evacuated in Palghar
Over 21,000 residents of 22 villages in Maharashtra’s Palghar district will be evacuated ahead of cyclonic storm ‘Nisarga’, which is likely to hit the coast on June 3, a district official said on Tuesday. As many as 21,080 villagers from Vasai, Palghar, Dahanu and Talasari talukas, which are likely to be affected by the cyclonic storm, have been shifted to safer places, district Collector Dr. Kailas Shinde said.
The District Disaster Management programme was in place and will be rolled out when necessary, he said, adding that all industrial- and commercial establishments will remain closed during this period.
Chemical units were directed to shut down safely and prohibitory orders have been issued to fishermen not to venture into the sea till June 4, the Collector stated.
Navy teams on stand-by in Mumbai
The Western Naval Command on Tuesday said it had mobilised adequate resources for flood relief, rescue and diving assistance in the event of excessive rainfall and flooding of both, urban and rural areas in coordination with the respective State governments on the Western seaboard.
Ships of the Western Fleet have been also embarked with Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) bricks to provide succour to coastal areas inundated due to heavy rain.
"In Mumbai, the Maharashtra Naval Area will be on standby with five Flood Rescue Teams and three Diving Teams throughout the monsoon season. These teams are stationed at various naval areas across the city to enable early response over a larger area. The teams are fully equipped and have been trained for rescue operations. Recce of known flood-prone areas has been undertaken and all necessary preparations are in place," an Indian Navy spokesperson said.
Similar arrangements have been set up within the Karwar Naval Area, the Goa Naval Area as well as Gujarat Daman and Diu Naval Areas.
In addition, naval Dornier aircraft and helicopters at various Naval Air Stations at Mumbai, Goa and Porbandar are ready at short notice to ferry teams inaccessible during floods as also rescue stranded personnel. The respective Area and Station Commanders are in touch with the State authorities, NDRF and SDRF to be able to respond to a crisis situation in the shortest possible time," an Indian Navy spokesperson said.
With the cyclonic storm Nisarga brewing in the Arabian Sea, all teams have been put on alert and are in readiness to respond to any requirement of HADR during the storm period. -- Aditya Anand
Durga puja organisers come to the aid of cyclone-hit craft workers
A platform of prominent Durga Puja organisers of Kolkata has reached out to the cyclone Amphan-affected ‘shola’ (Indian cork) artists of a hamlet in South 24 Parganas district, who have been decorating their pandals with intricate artworks for years.
The Forum for Durgotsab, a platform of 350 Durga Puja committees, on Tuesday said its members distributed food and relief material to 170 families of artisans of Enayetpur village in Diamond Harbour subdivision of the district.
Seven-eight members of the Forum went to Enayetpur and distributed dry food items, soap, tarpaulin and other items among the affected families on Monday, he said.
The Forum has puja committees such as Ballygunje Cultural, Behala Notun Dal, Tridhara Sammilani, Santoshpur Lake Palli, Hatibagan Navin Palli and Kasi Bose Lane. They are known for organising pujas that attract a large number of visitors every year.
The Naktala Udayan Sangha, an award-winning puja committee of the city, will separately distribute relief materials among people in several storm-ravaged villages in an area close to the Sunderbans, the worlds largest mangrove forest.
Many other Durga puja organisers of Kolkata are also individually collecting relief material for the people in the disaster-hit zones.
Gujarat administration is shifting around 80,000 people from low lying areas in coastal districts: Bharuch, Surat, Valsad and Navsari ahead of cyclonic storm ‘Nisarga’. NDRF & SDRF teams engaged in shifting/evacuation works.
- Mahesh Langa
COVID-19 patients shifted from BKC to Worli as precautionary measure
Covid-19 patients being moved from dedicated covid health centre at MMRDA grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex to NSCI Covid health centre as a precaution ahead of cyclone, on Tuesday.
As Mumbai is bracing up to face cyclone Nisarga, nearly 250 COVID-19 patients are being shifted from the facility at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) to the COVID centre at the NSCI Centre in Worli.
The MMRDA’s Bandra Kurla Complex facility is a field hospital that has been built under a German Tent, while the NSCI facility is within a massive indoor stadium.
The MMRDA has stated that the BKC COVID-19 hospital could sustain strong winds of up to 80km-100km per hour, but the move was taken as a precautionary measure and they were also taking adaptive measures to strengthen the facility. - Ajeet Mahale
Deep depression in Arabian Sea intensifies into cyclone
“Deep depression intensified into a cyclonic storm around noon today,” IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said.
The cyclone has been named ‘Nisarga’ The name has been proposed by Bangladesh, Mr. Mohapatra said.
It is likely to turn into a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ by Tuesday night, the Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD said.
PM reviews cyclonic conditions in western coast
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took stock of the situation in the wake of cyclonic conditions in western India.
“Took stock of the situation in the wake of cyclone conditions in parts of India’s western coast,” the prime minister tweeted.
“Praying for everyone’s well-being. I urge people to take all possible precautions and safety measures,” he said.
Over 20,000 people to be evacuated from Gujarat
With Gujarat bracing for the approaching cyclonic storm ‘Nisarg’, the Valsad and Navsari district administrations have started evacuating nearly 20,000 people from 47 villages located close to the State's coastline.
As a precautionary measure, the district administrations of Valsad and Navsari have started shifting people living near the coast to safer places.
“We have deployed our teams to shift nearly 10,000 people living in 35 coastal villages. We have already identified shelter homes and started the evacuation process,” Valsad Collector R R Raval said.
In adjoining Navsari district also, the administration has initiated the process of shifting some 10,200 people from 12 villages, Collector Ardra Agarwal said. - PTI
33 teams deployed in Maharashtra, Gujarat: NDRF DG
Thirty-three NDRF teams have been deployed in the coastal districts of Maharashtra and Gujarat in view of the impending Cyclone Nisarga, the chief of the federal contingency force said.
In a video message, NDRF Director General (DG) S N Pradhan said, “Gujarat and Maharashtra have 11 and 10 teams respectively and they are being deployed in the coastal districts facing the Arabian Sea“.
On Gujarat’s request, five more teams are being airlifted to the state from Punjab, he said.
Gujarat will have a total of 17 NDRF teams, including two on standby, and neighbouring Maharashtra 16 teams, including six on standby, he said.
13 fishing boats from Palghar still in sea as cyclone nears
As Maharashtra prepares for the approaching cyclone, 13 boats of fishermen from Palghar are still out in the sea and efforts are being made to get them back to the shore quickly, authorities said on Tuesday.
As many as 577 fishing boats from Palghar had earlier gone out in the sea and till Monday evening, 477 returned, Collector Kailas Shinde said.
Efforts were made to bring the remaining 100 also back to the shore. “Now, only 13 boats were left out in the sea,” Mr. Shinde said.
The number of fishermen on these boats was not known.
The district administration is taking help of the Coast Guard and officials of the fisheries department to get the remaining boats back, Palghar’s disaster management cell chief Vivekanand Kadam said.
- PTI
Alert sounded in many rural parts of Pune district
While the risk from Cyclone Nisarga to Pune district may be relatively low as compared to Mumbai city and districts in the Konkan division, a number of tehsils in the district’s rural parts have been placed on ‘high alert’, said authorities on Tuesday.
Ayush Prasad, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Pune Zilla Parishad, said that immediate preventive measures were being taken to ensure that there was no loss to life and minimal damage to property.
Very likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm: IMD
The Deep Depression over East Central Arabian Sea now lies 450 km south-southwest of Mumbai.
According to India Meteorological Department's release issued at 11.30 a.m., it is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm during next six hours and further into a severe cyclonic storm during subsequent 12 hours.
Since it will recurve and cross north Maharashtra between Harihareshwar and Daman, close to Alibaug on Wednesday afternoon, IMD has already issued a red alert for Mumbai.
Besides, IMD has issued a storm surge warning for Mumbai: "Storm surge of 1-2 meters above astronomical tide is very likely to inundate low lying areas of Mumbai during the time of landfall". IMD has issued warnings as it expects major damage to huts, roof tops may blow off, unattached metal sheets may fly, damage to roads, power and communication lines, breaking of tree branches.
Even as IMD has not specified where the cyclone will make a landfall, Mahesh Palawat, vice president, meteorology and climate change at private forecaster Skymet Weather tweeted on Tuesday morning, "Now #CycloneNisarga seems to head north of #Mumbai, towards #Palghar and #Dahanu. #Mumbaikars to brace up for very heavy #rains and gale force winds. Crucial time is between evening of June 2nd and afternoon of June 3rd."
- Tanvi Deshpande
Storm surge warning for Mumbai
IMD has also issued a storm surge warning for Mumbai. "Storm surge of 1-2 meters above astronomical tide is very likely to inundate low lying areas of Mumbai during the time of landfall."
IMD has issued warnings as it expects major damage to huts and roof tops being blow off. Unattached metal sheets may fly and damage to roads, power and communication lines is expected. There may be breaking of tree branches too.
Even as IMD has not specified where the cyclone will make a landfall, Mahesh Palawat, Vice President, meteorology and climate change at private forecaster Skymet Weather tweeted on Tuesday morning asking Mumbaikars to brace up for very heavy rains and gale force winds.
7 districts in south Gujarat, 2 in Saurashtra region put on alert
Seven districts in south Gujarat and two in Saurashtra region have been put on high alert with the deployment of 11 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to deal with cyclonic storm Nisarga which has formed in the Arabian Sea.
The State authorities have asked fishermen to avoid venturing into the sea while all beaches have been closed for public.
Mumbai likely to receive heavy rain
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday scaled up its weather warning, issuing a red alert for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad for Wednesday. There is a red alert for Palghar on Thursday as well.
On Sunday, a low pressure area formed over south-east and adjoining east-central Arabian Sea in the early morning and remained till forenoon.
Disaster response teams from neighbouring states on alert
Fishermen bring their boat anchor back in shore at Badhwar park in Mumbai on June 2, 2020. Fishermen have been instructed not to venture in Arabian sea due to approaching cyclone.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a video conference with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday regarding cyclone Nisarga. Mr. Shah clarified that disaster response teams from neighbouring states have been kept on alert and will be sent to Maharashtra if needed.
Gujarat braces for cyclone
In anticipation of a cyclonic storm making landfall on the Gujarat coast on June 3, the Gujarat government on Monday ordered evacuation of people living in low-lying areas and deployed 10 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in over half a dozen districts.
“The (low-pressure) system is around 900km away from Surat at present. We expect the cyclonic storm to hit the southern Gujarat coast near Daman on June 3 evening with a wind speed of 90 to 100 km per hour. It will bring heavy rainfall in the south Gujarat region on June 3 and 4. It may have some impact in Bhavnagar and Amreli districts of the Saurashtra region as well,” said Director of MET Centre, Jayanta Sarkar.
Normal weather after June 4
Commenting on the situation after June 4, Akshay Deoras, a Ph.D scholar at University of Reading, U.K., who follows India and especially Maharashtra’s weather, tweeted, “From 4 June, normal #weather conditions (mostly clear sky & humid weather) will make a comeback in #Mumbai. This period will witness at the most a few odd passing pre-#monsoon showers. It will be surprising if the #monsoon's arrival in #Mumbai is announced before ~15 June. The Arabian Sea low-pressure system will lead to a transient rainfall phase, but surface/near-surface wind pattern won’t be westerly so as to declare the monsoon’s arrival. I’d like to cite the case of Cyclone Vayu which didn’t allow the onset of westerly surface/near-surface #monsoon winds over #Mumbai for a long period around mid June 2019. Due to the same reason, @Indiametdept had waited for many days for announcing the monsoon’s arrival.”
