Cyclonic storm 'Nisarga' is expected affect the coastal districts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, more than Gujarat and other neighbouring states, the India Meteorological Department was cited by IANS as saying on Monday, 1 June.
The IMD, according to the IANS report, said the depression in the Arabian Sea is slated to intensify into a severe cyclone storm 'Nisarga' and cross north Maharashtra and Gujarat coasts on 3 June.
A low-pressure area and a depression are the first two levels on the IMD’s eight-category scale used to classify cyclones based on their intensity.
Fishermen Advised Not to Venture Out
A total of nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed in Maharashtra, including three in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, the Gujarat government has ordered the evacuation of people living in low-lying areas and deployed 10 NDRF teams in six districts, reported PTI.
“Monsoon vortex or cyclonic circulation has formed in the Arabian Sea. As per our predictions, Maharashtra coastal districts like Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Thane, Raigad, Mumbai and Palghar will be more affected by it.”IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, as quoted by IANS.
According to Mohapatra, the wind speed could damage trees, telephone lines and electric poles, along with inundating low-lying areas. He said that rainfall in Maharashtra's coastal districts will increase on 2 June and intensify further the next day.
The weather bureau has also said that the sea condition will be very rough and advised fishermen in Kerala, Lakshadweep, coastal Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat not to venture into the sea till 4 June.
Meanwhile, Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of IMD’s Regional Weather Forecasting Centre had earlier said that the formation of a low pressure system in the Arabian Sea and its movement towards Gujarat coast will also bring moisture to Delhi-NCR and northwest India from 3 June.
Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday also participated in meetings with officials of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) to review the preparedness for dealing with the cyclone.
Two storms are forming over the Arabian Sea, one lies off the African coast and is likely to move over Oman and Yemen, while the other is placed close to India.
The development comes almost ten days after 'Amphan' pummelled four districts of Bengal in the fiercest cyclone in the region in a century that left 86 people dead and rendered ten million people homeless.
(With inputs from PTI, IANS)
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