New Delhi: The extreme severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy is likely to hit the Saurashtra -Kutch coast and adjoining Pakistan on Thursday evening, with a sustained wind speed of 125 to 135 Kilometer per hour.
"Its damaging potential could be extensive," said Director General India Meteorological Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra at a press conference here.
Mohapatra said that "the gusting speed is likely to reach 145 to 150 Km/h, which will bring heavy to heavy rainfall in the coastal areas of Gujarat".
Mohapatra said that Dwarka, Rajkot, Jamnagar and Kutch districts will experience strong wind speeds up to 125 during the landfall and it has an extensive damaging potential and it is likely to impact Kutch, Devbhoomi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts of Gujarat the most".
The Director General said that due to strong winds speed there is a possibility of "large-scale damage" in the coastal region of Gujarat.
The Director General said It is likely to cause heavy rainfall in the coastal districts of Gujarat, including extremely heavy falls in Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka & Jamnagar and heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places over Porbandar, Rajkot, Morbi & Junagadh districts.
On the day of landfall, Mohapatra said the entire Saurashtra and kutch will experience "heavy rainfall" and "extremely heavy" rainfall up to 25 cm in Dwarka, Jamnagar and Kutch district.
Meanwhile, the Western Railways has cancelled 67 trains passing through the areas predicted to be affected by weather conditions due to Cyclone Biparjoy.
"Various safety and security precautions are also being taken by Western Railway for train passengers of these prone areas under the jurisdiction," the zonal office of Indian Railways said.
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya also reviewed the preparedness measures being taken by the Centre and Gujarat state administration on cyclone ‘Biparjoy’ with Rushikesh Ganeshbhai Patel, Health Minister of Gujarat at Bhuj, Gujarat on Tuesday.
In a statement, the of Health Ministry said, "Six multi-disciplinary Central Quick Response Medical Teams from Dr. RML Hospital, LHMC, Safdarjung Hospital, AIIMS (New Delhi), AIIMS (Jodhpur) and AIIMS (Nagpur) are kept ready.
The Ministry informed, "Besides, teams from NIMHANS, Bengaluru are also on standby to provide psychosocial care and aid to the any affected population".
The Ministry said the government is in continuous communication with its Regional Offices in all States of the Western Coast (including Gujarat) with instructions to provide requisite support to the States in their preparedness for the cyclone.
"So far, no such request has been communicated to the Health Ministry," it said. (UNI)