This is an archive article published on June 14, 2023

Cyclone Biparjoy: Heavy rains in Gujarat’s coastal districts until June 17, CM chairs meeting to review preparedness

The state government plans to evacuate nearly 55,000 people, of which more than 47,000 were evacuated to safety by Wednesday morning

Tidal waves enter the mouth of Gomati River in Dwarka as cyclone Biparjoy moved closer to Dwarka coast, in Gujarat on Wednesday. (Express Photo by Bhupendra Patel)

By: Express News Service

4 min readGandhinagarJun 14, 2023 08:53 PM IST First published on: Jun 14, 2023 at 08:48 PM IST

With Cyclone Biparjoy expected to make landfall at Jakhau in Kutch on Thursday evening, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel kept a close watch on the preparedness as he chaired a high-level review meeting at the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) in Gandhinagar with Chief Secretary Raj Kumar, Relief Commissioner Alok Pandey and Regional Director of Meteorological Department Manorama Mohanty. The officials briefed the CM about the preparations.

The state government plans to evacuate nearly 55,000 people, of which more than 47,000 were evacuated to safety by Wednesday morning, Pandey said.

Policemen keep vigil on the seacoast of Dwarka as the Cyclone Biparjoy moved closer to Dwarka coast, in Gujarat on Wednesday. (Express Photo by Bhupendra Rana)

Eight coastal districts of Gujarat is bracing up for heavy to very heavy rains with gusty winds as Cyclone Biparjoy is likely to make landfall at a wind speed of 125-135 kmph anytime between 4pm and 8pm Thursday near Jakhau, said Mohanty.

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The maximum impact of the cyclone is expected in Kutch, Morbi, Devbhumi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts, while there is a possibility of heavy rainfall in the adjoining North Gujarat districts such as Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Patan, and Mehsana on June 16-17 when the cyclone would subside, she said. Raj Kumar has issued directives to district collectors of North Gujarat to make necessary preparations.

Fishing boats in Rupen harbor near Dwarka town in Dwarka district on Wednesday as Gujarat braces for landfall of cyclone Biparjoy. (Express Photo by Bhupendra Rana)

More than 47,000 people were evacuated by Wednesday morning as the state government stepped up its mitigation efforts ahead of Cyclone Biparjoy.

A view from Mandvi beach in Kutch on Wednesday post evacuation of the Gujarat coastline ahead of landfall of Cyclone Biparjoy. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

“To address the potential impact of Cyclone Biparjoy, the Commissioner of Relief has deployed 18 teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 12 teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) in the affected districts. The deployment of rescue teams has been done to meet the specific requirements of each district, with six teams stationed in Kutch, three teams in Devbhoomi Dwarka, two teams in Rajkot, and Jamnagar, and one team each in Junagadh, Porbandar, Gir Somnath, Morbi, and Valsad. The SDRF has allocated two teams each to Kutch, Jamnagar and Devbhoomi Dwarka, while Junagadh, Porbandar, Gir Somnath, Morbi, Patan, and Banaskantha have one team each. Additionally, Surat has a reserve team in place,” an official release stated.

Also Read | Gujarat shifts 37,000 to shelters as Biparjoy nears, 1 dies in wall collapse

“A team of 597 personnel from the Paschim Gujarat Vij Company Limited has been assembled to swiftly restore the electricity supply after the cyclone subsides. Essential wire poles have been made readily available at all substations, and teams from other districts have been mobilised to expedite the power restoration process in the affected areas,” the release added.