Devbhumi Dwarka, Junagadh and Gir Somnath are seeing heavy rainfall, while Kutch received light rainfall overnight, with strong winds being reported across the Gujarat coast.

By Tuesday evening, over 37,700 people were evacuated from the eight coastal districts of Gujarat that are likely to be worst-hit by Cyclone Biparjoy, and the Army was on standby. Meanwhile, one person was killed after a wall collapsed in the Kharvavad area of Porbandar town due to the high-velocity winds. On Monday, two children were killed in a similar incident in Bhuj, the district headquarters of Kutch.

? Union Home Minister Amit Shah asked the Gujarat government on Tuesday to make arrangements for moving people living in sensitive places to safer areas

? He asked them to ensure  all necessary services, such as electricity, telecommunication, health and drinking water, as part of the preparedness for Cyclone "Biparjoy".

? He said the preparedness should be such that in case of any damage, these services can be restored immediately.

? The home minister said the storm is expected to bring 8-10 inches of rain, which may cause flood in Kutch and Saurashtra and stressed the need to review the necessary preparations.

? Shah directed all concerned to ensure mobile and landline connectivity and alternative arrangements for electricity at all hospitals.

? He asked officials to make necessary arrangements around the Somnath and Dwarka temples.

? Shah asked the MPs and MLAs from Gujarat to make people aware about the threat of the cyclone in their respective areas and provide assistance to them. (PTI)

yclone Biparjoy is now completely detached from the monsoonal flow and will not adversely impact the advance of the rain-bearing system or its performance, the India Meteorological Department said on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference, IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the cyclone, however, helped the monsoon advance over southern parts of the peninsula by increasing the cross-equatorial flow over the Arabian Sea.

"Now, it is completely detached from the monsoonal flow. We do not expect any largescale impact either on the monsoon advance or its performance," he said. (PTI)

Hundreds of people are being evacuated from coastal villages in Kutch district in view of cyclone Biparjoy but authorities are facing a challenge as many villagers are reluctant to leave their livestock and belongings behind.

In Ashirwada village, located 5 km away from the coast in Kutch district, people agreed to move out only after police and revenue officers held meetings to convince them.

Village head Adam Ibrahim said they have agreed to move to shelters but nearly half of the residents will stay back in the village with a population of 400.

"We rear cattle for survival. We cannot leave them behind. Those who have kaccha houses will leave. Women and children will be sent to shelters," he said.

"We were shifted here from Jakhau Port. Our belongings worth lakhs are lying in our shanties. What will happen to them in the cyclone? Will the government give compensation for the damages?" asked Havabai, an evacuee.  She claimed the administration is not providing proper food to our children. (PTI)

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting through video conferencing to review the preparedness for Cyclone "Biparjoy. "Our aim is to ensure 'Zero Casualty' and minimize the possible damage," he said. 

Shah said that there is a need to act swiftly on the important directions given by PM Modi during a review meeting chaired by him on June 12.

Based on the data during 1965-2022 for the month of June, 13 cyclones developed over the Arabian Sea. Out of these, 2 crossed Gujarat coast, 1 Maharashtra, 1 Pakistan coast, 3 Oman-Yemen coasts and 6 weakened over sea. Prior to 2023, in the month of June, only two cyclones crossed Gujarat coast, one as a severe cyclonic storm in 1996 and another as an extremely severe cyclonic storm in 1998.

? A depression was formed over southeast Arabian Sea in the morning of 6th June. Moving northwards it intensified into a deep depression and further into a cyclonic storm "BIPARJOY" over eastcentral and adjoining southeast Arabian Sea in the same evening

? It intensified into a severe cyclonic storm over eastcentral Arabian Sea on the morning of June 7

? Thereafter, from 7th to 11th June, it followed a recurving track, moving gradually north northwestwards for some time, then north-northeastwards & finally northwards.

? It intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm over eastcentral Arabian Sea on the morning of June 11.

? On June 12, i.e today, it lay centred over east-central and adjoining northeast Arabian Sea near latitude 19.6°N and longitude 67.6°E, about 310 km southwest of Porbandar, 340 km south-southwest of Devbhumi Dwarka, 430 km south-southwest of Jakhau Port, 430 km south-southwest of Naliya and 590 km south of Karachi (Pakistan).

? It is very likely to move nearly northwards till 14th morning, then move north northeastwards and cross Saurashtra & Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts between Mandvi (Gujarat) and Karachi (Pakistan) near Jakhau Port (Gujarat) around noon of 15th June

? IMD forecasts it to be a very severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph.

"Sixty-nine trains have been cancelled, 32 trains have been short-terminated while 26 trains will be short-originated as a precautionary measure, in view of the safety of passengers & train operations with respect to the onset of Cyclone Biparjoy," said Sumit Thakur, CPRO, Western Railway

Ahead of the landfall of Cyclone Biparjoy, the Army authorities have jointly planned the relief operations with civil administration as well as NDRF. The interaction has given all agencies involved in Disaster Management a platform to share their best practices and gain from each other. Representatives of the Indian Army also attended the meeting chaired by the CM and pledged total support during the time of crisis,  a statement from the Army said. 

(Express Photos by Nirmal Harindran)

As the sea turned rough, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) evacuated 50 personnel from an oil rig located 40 km off the Dwarka coast in an overnight operation amid inclement weather conditions due to the cyclone, the maritime agency said on Tuesday.

? Cyclone Biparjoy, a "very severe cyclonic storm", is expected to cross the Gujarat coast on June 15.

? Six multi-disciplinary central quick response medical teams, pooled in from the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) and Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (New Delhi), AIIMS (Jodhpur) and AIIMS (Nagpur), are kept ready to be mobilised in the event of any requirement for providing emergency care and services.

? Besides, teams from the NIMHANS, Bengaluru are also on standby to provide psychosocial care and aid to any affected population

? The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) in all states has been tasked to conduct post-disaster disease surveillance through the state or district surveillance units to timely detect any outbreak of epidemic-prone diseases in the aftermath of the cyclone.

? In case of any logistic requirement of the states, HLL Lifecare Limited has been tasked with the supply of the same, the statement said. (PTI)

Jakhau port, one of the busiest docks in Gujarat, is serenely inactive except for the rough sea, gushing wind and heavy rains as it awaits the landfall of cyclone 'Biparjoy'.

The port is devoid of any living souls except for a few on-duty personnel as the entire human population there has been evacuated in anticipation of the landfall of the 'very severe cyclonic storm' on June 15

Hundreds of fishing boats have been brought ashore and parked in lines in the hope to save them from the imminent fury of nature. Except for the Indian Coast Guard and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel manning the port, no one is allowed to enter the facility.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that the cyclone will make landfall near Jakhau. (PTI)

? With cyclone 'Biparjoy' barrelling towards Kutch district in Gujarat, shelter homes are being set up with arrangements for rations and meals while an action plan is being put in place to tackle medical and health emergencies, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday.

? He said all labourers working at ports in coastal areas have been evacuated, ships have been anchored, and crew members shifted to safer places.

? "The administration has set up shelter homes with rations, meals, and facilities for pregnant women and children. An action plan was put in place yesterday (Monday) for medical and health emergencies," Mandaviya told reporters. "When all state and Central departments, the broadcast department, and the Army work in tandem, they can achieve great results. India is known in the world for its disaster management," he said.

? Mandaviya, who is at Bhuj in coastal Kutch district, and four other Union ministers from Gujarat reached various districts that are likely to be impacted by the cyclone to help and coordinate with the state administration in rescue and evacuation measures. (PTI)

Cyclone 'Biparjoy' has an extensive damaging potential and it is likely to impact Kutch, Devbhoomi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts of Gujarat the most, the India Meteorological Department said on Tuesday.

Cyclone Biparjoy is predicted to cross Saurashtra and Kutch coasts near Jakhau Port on the evening of June 15 as a 'very severe cyclonic storm' with a maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph.

The cyclone could lead to extremely heavy rainfall (over 20 cm) at isolated places in Kutch, Devbhoomi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts on June 15. Porbandar, Rajkot, Morbi and Junagarh may receive heavy to very heavy rainfall. Winds gusting up to 145 kilometers are predicted to batter these districts. (PTI)

? As cyclone 'Biparjoy' with an extensive damaging potential is likely to make landfall near Jakhau port in Gujarat's Kutch district on Thursday evening, the administration has so far shifted 21,000 people from different coastal districts to temporary shelters, an official said on Tuesday.

? The government is aiming to evacuate people within 10 km of the coast.

? The cyclone is likely to impact the Kutch, Devbhoomi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts of Gujarat the most.

? Among the 21,000 people, nearly 6,500 were evacuated in Kutch district alone, followed by 5,000 in Devbhumi Dwarka, 4,000 in Rajkot, 2,000 in Morbi, more than 1,500 in Jamnagar, 550 in Porbandar and 500 in Junagadh district, he told reporters in Gandhinagar. (PTI)

Cyclone Biparjoy has an extensive damaging potential and it is likely to impact Kutch, Devbhoomi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts of Gujarat the most, the India Meteorological Department said on Tuesday.

Cyclone Biparjoy is predicted to cross Saurashtra and Kutch coasts near Jakhau Port on the evening of June 15 as a 'very severe cyclonic storm' with a maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph.

"Its damaging potential could be extensive," IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said at a press conference.

The cyclone could lead to extremely heavy rainfall (over 20 cm) at isolated places in Kutch, Devbhoomi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts on June 15. (PTI)

Chairing a meeting to review precautionary measures taken as Cyclone Biparjoy approaches the western coast, Union Home Minister Amit Shah noted the work done by the Centre and state governments over the years in the arena of disaster management. The Home Minister noted, however, that they cannot be content as disasters have changed their forms and their frequency and intensity have increased in recent years.

The Home Minister also said that the States where nuclear power stations are being set up have been given a strict protocol to be followed in the case of any emergency situation.

Evacuation of citizens living along Sindh's coastal belt continued throughout the night, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said.

Shah also said that Keti Bunder’s population of 13,000 was in danger, adding that 3,000 people had been evacuated overnight, Dawn reported.

Meanwhile, Ghorabari's population of 5,000 was in danger, out of which 100 people had been moved to a safe location.

The administration would continue to evacuate the citizens of Thatta, Badin and Sajawal districts, Shah informed.

Pakistan Meteorological Department’s Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre on Monday issued an alert on Monday saying that the cyclone had moved further north-northwestward during last 12 hours and had weakened into a “very severe cyclonic storm”, Dawn reported. 

As per the alert, the cyclone now lay at a distance of about 470km south of Karachi, 460km south of Thatta.

Under the existing conditions, the cyclone was “most likely” to track further northward until the morning of June 14 (Wednesday). The cyclone will recurve northeastward and cross between Keti Bandar and India's Gujarat coast on the afternoon/evening of June 15 as a “very severe cyclonic storm” packing winds of 100-120km/hour, as per Dawn.

The Indian Coast Guard evacuated 50 personnel from an oil rig located 40 km off the Dwarka coast in Gujarat in an overnight operation amid inclement weather conditions due to the impending cyclone ‘Biparjoy' in the region, the maritime agency said on Tuesday.

“India Coast Guard Region NorthWest evacuated 50 personnel from oil rig 'Key Singapore' 40 km seaward from Dwarka in seven sorties of overnight ops by ICG ALH aircraft and ship Shoor," it said in a release.

It said the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and ship braved "very rough sea conditions" and inclement weather due to approaching Biparjoy, which is expected to make landfall near Jakhau port in the Kutch district on June 15.(PTI)

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a review meeting over preparedness for the cyclonic storm today (Tuesday). Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel as well as MPs from various districts in the state are scheduled to participate in the meeting virtually, news agency ANI reported. 

It is after 25 years that Gujarat coast is bracing for a cyclone in June. Biparjoy will be only the fifth cyclone of the ‘severe’ (wind speed of 48 – 63 kms/hr) or higher category to cross Gujarat, if realised, as per the forecast issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Biparjoy is the only third ‘extremely severe’ cyclone to develop in the Arabian Sea in June in 58 years, the data suggested. Read more

Cyclonic storm Biparjoy Tuesday weakened from an extremely severe cyclone to a very severe cyclone. However,  it remained on course to the Saurashtra-Kutch coast of Gujarat. The state government has decided to start evacuating people from vulnerable areas up to five kilometre inland from Tuesday onwards and will evacuate people living in huts and kuchcha houses up to 10 km inland Wednesday.

By Monday evening, more than 8,000 people had been moved to temporary cyclone shelters as a precautionary measure. Schools have also been ordered shut in the six coastal districts.

Cyclone Biparjoy is also likely to enter southwest Rajasthan on June 16, officials informed. In view of the cyclone, the North Western Railway (NWR) has cancelled some train services, news agency PTI reported. Read more

The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 29.8 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, with strong surface winds forecast later in the day.

Delhiites can expect some respite from the heat as light rains are predicted in the city on Thursday and Friday under the influence of Cyclone Biparjoy which is gaining steam in the Arabian Sea. (PTI)

Developed in the Arabian Sea, cyclone Biparjoy, earlier expected to move towards the Pakistan coastline, has now changed its path and is heading towards the northern Gujarat coast, with landfall expected on June 15.

According to India’s Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC), the cyclone might cause storm surges of 2-3 metres in height, destruction of thatched houses, damage to pucca houses and roads, floodings, widespread damage to standing crops, plantations and orchards, and disruption of railways, powerlines and signalling systems in the northern and western coastal districts of Gujarat.

Cyclone Biparjoy, which is expected to generate wind speeds of 125-135 kmph with gusts reaching up to 150 kmph by the time it reaches land, is a tropical cyclone. The National Disaster Management Authority classifies cyclones broadly into two categories: extratropical cyclones and tropical cyclones. Here is what you need to know about them. Read more

Rescuers have found the bodies of two of the four boys who went missing in the sea off Mumbai's Juhu Koliwada, an official said on Tuesday.

According to a civic official, the bodies of 16-year-old Dharmesh Valji Faujiya and 15-year-old Shubham Yogesh Bhogniya have been recovered.

The two were part of a group of five friends, aged between 12 and 16 years, who ventured into the sea, about half a kilometre from the shore, around 5.30 pm on Monday but could not return.

Authorities have already warned people and fishermen against venturing into the sea because of the rough conditions ahead of the landfall of cyclone 'Biparjoy' on the Gujarat coast on June 15. (PTI)

As Cyclone ‘Biparjoy' approaches and is likely to make landfall near Jakhau port in the Kutch district off the Gujarat coast, evacuation efforts will pick up on Tuesday, with the government aiming to evacuate people within 10 km from the coast.

Authorities in the coastal districts of Kutch, Porbandar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Junagadh, and Morbi have started the process of shifting those living near the coastline. They said thousands of people residing in areas within 10 km from the shore will be moved to safer places from Tuesday. (PTI)

In the wake of the impending Cyclone Biparjoy, Indian Railways have activated the disaster management room and also opened emergency control rooms in several districts of Gujarat to ensure smooth rail functioning.

The Director of Information and Publication Railway Board, Shivaji Sutar on Monday said that sufficient manpower and machinery has been deployed with adequate preparation to deal with any emergency situation.

Speaking to ANI, Shivaji Sutar said, "Disaster Management room has been activated and field staff has been put on alert mode. Emergency control rooms have been opened in Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Ahmedabad and Gandhidham. Additional helpline numbers have also been activated". (ANI)

Palghar district administration Monday banned the movement of people near the coast from June 13 to June 15, in light of cyclone 'Biparjoy', news agency ANI reported.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel Monday visited the State Emergency Operation Centre in Gandhinagar to review the preparations in view of cyclone 'Biparjoy' which is expected to hit the state on June 15, news agency ANI reported.

Ashok Kumar Misra, the General Manager of the Western Railway, Mumbai, Monday said that the body has been constantly monitoring cyclone 'Biparjoy', news agency ANI reported. The department, besides cancelling 67 trains, has also established a disaster control room at its headquarters.

'We are continuously monitoring cyclone 'Biparjoy'. We have established a disaster control room at our headquarters and also deployed ADRMs at Bhuj, Gandhidam, Porbandar and Okha. Today, some trains have been cancelled due to increased wind speed in Porbandar. All trains going to coastal areas in Gujarat will be cancelled from tomorrow,' said Misra. (ANI)

The Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, Monday chaired a high-level meeting with senior officials of the Port Authority to review the preparedness for cyclone 'Biparjoy', news agency ANI reported.

The Minister directed the senior officers to take every possible measure to ensure that people living in vulnerable locations are safe. (ANI)

A total of five boys had drowned at Juhu Koliwada, near Juhu Beach this afternoon, and not six, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a clarification on the numbers. 

Following the incident, a 15-year-old boy was rescued by fishermen before first-responders arrived at the spot, and at present, search and rescue for four of them is underway. 

The BMC said that owing to high tide search operation is being difficult and is taking time.

The Western Railway Monday fully cancelled the operation of 67 trains, in view of cyclone 'Biparjoy', according to the Chief Public Relation Officer of the Western Railway, ANI reported. 

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Monday evacuated a rig with 50 people on it off the Dwarka coast in Gujarat. It is a private oil rig named, 'Key Singapore' which is 25 miles off Devbhumi Dwarka district in the state's Saurashtra region.

(Video: Indian Coast Guard)