(Combining related stories)

All hands are on deck in India and neighbour Pakistan as Cyclone Biparjoy approaches. The powerful cyclone is likely to make landfall in Gujarat’s Kutch or coast of Sindh in Pakistan on Thursday afternoon.

Authorities will start evacuating people from villages located within 10km from the coast in Kutch-Saurashtra districts of Gujarat from Tuesday, officials and the IMD said on Monday. Around 7,500 people residing in low-lying areas near the coast have already been shifted to safer places in the state, they said.

The Centre has directed the state government to regulate onshore and offshore activities and mobilise evacuation from coastal areas of Saurashtra and Kutch districts, including Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Junagadh and Morbi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness of the Centre as well as the Gujarat government to deal with the situation arising out of the impending cyclone, which is also expected to impact Pakistan.

According to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Modi has directed senior officers to take every possible measure to ensure that people living in vulnerable locations are safely evacuated by the state government.

He also directed to ensure maintenance of all essential services such as power, telecommunications, health and drinking water, and restore them immediately in the event of any damage caused to them. The prime minister further said the safety of animals should be ensured and ordered the setting up of 24×7 control rooms.

PM Modi chairing meeting to review the preparedness for Cyclone Biparkoy on 12 June 2023

During the meeting, the IMD informed that Cyclone Biparjoy was expected to cross Saurashtra and Kutch between Mandvi and Pakistan’s Karachi near the Jakhau Port of Gujarat by noon of June 15 as a very severe cyclonic storm. The cyclone is likely to have a maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to 145 kmph.

The cyclone is on course to become the cyclone with the longest lifespan in the Arabian Sea, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data. The life period of the cyclone, which developed over the southeast Arabian Sea at 5.30 am on June 6, is about seven days and 12 hours so far. It will also be the third cyclone to hit the western state in June since 1965, the meteorological office said.

The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) on Monday reviewed the preparedness of the Gujarat government and central agencies for the impending Cyclone Biparjoy and assured the state of all help.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea and those at sea have been called back to safe berth, an official statement said.

A total of 21,000 boats have been parked so far and a list of all vulnerable villages has been prepared for the purpose of evacuation, it said.

Ten teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are being deployed, the statement said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has already deployed 12 teams and three additional teams are on standby in Gujarat. In addition, 15 teams — five each at Arrakonam (Tamil Nadu), Mundli (Odisha) and Bathinda (Punjab) — are on alert for airlifting on short notice, it said.

NDRF and SDRF personnel in Gujarat

Rescue and relief teams of Coast Guard, Army and Navy along with ships and aircraft are also on standby.

An adequate number of teams and assets of Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard are being deployed to assist the Gujarat government in its preparedness, rescue and restoration efforts, the statement said.

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal too on Monday chaired a high-level meeting with the officials to review the preparedness for the upcoming Cyclone Biparjoy.

He said, “We must ensure compliance with the advisories issued by the IMD, DGS, and other authorities in order to protect lives and environment also ensure that all precautionary/preventive measures and arrangements are made in time to provide necessary rescue, shelter, rehabilitation, and relief as required.” Sonowal also directed DG Shipping, respective Ports, and all concerned to set up a control room. ‘All Ports in the region to SITREP at regular intervals to update with regards to measures taken to safeguard against cyclone’ he added.

The Border Security Force (BSF) has ordered the ‘safe positioning’ of its marine wing assets and personnel along the Gujarat front, officials said.

All the marine wing boats and about a dozen floating border posts (small ships) are being moved to safe anchors. These assets are used by the BSF to patrol the marine, creek and marshy areas along this front, a senior officer told PTI.

The border force has also prepared a small team of its personnel to act as rescuers whenever the administration wants them to undertake such an operation before or after the cyclone strikes.

The Western Railway has short-terminated more than 50 trains heading to coastal areas of Gujarat and is considering cancellation of several trains over the next three days, a release said.

The WR is taking various measures including setting up disaster management rooms, help desks, and keeping relief trains ready.

Sumit Thakur, chief public relations officer (CPRO), WR, said passenger trains scheduled from June 12 onwards in the vulnerable sections are being reviewed and necessary decisions will be taken.

“Several trains have been cancelled and short-terminated as a precautionary measure in view of the safety of passengers and train operations,” Thakur said.

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In Pakistan, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah conducted an aerial inspection of the coastline and asked authorities to evacuate an estimated 80,000 people to safety as Pakistan Meteorological Department said the cyclone came roughly 600 kilometres within the range of Karachi on Monday.

Karachi’s Seaview Road was blocked for traffic on Monday to prevent people from heading out into the open sea as Bipar joy was classified as an “extremely severe cyclonic storm”.

Section 144 has been enforced in Karachi, and entry to the port city’s beaches is banned.

A top official of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said that the authorities have started moving people from the low-lying coastal areas in Sindh to temporary shelters in government schools and offices as the cyclone is expected to make its landfall in Keti Bandar and its adjoining areas. Keti Bandar is one of the oldest ports in Sindh.

Pakistan army being deployed to coastal areas

In another precautionary measure, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority’s airside department has also alerted the relevant officials to ensure the safety of lightweight aircraft and other electrical equipment by taking precautionary measures such as mooring parked light aircraft or re-parking to a safer place.

Sherry Rehman, Minister for Climate Change and Environment, said that the NDMA, with its provincial units, would coordinate with Pakis tan Navy, Pakistan Maritime Security Authority, and Pakistan Coast Guards in rescue efforts and ensure the safety of people.

“Biparjoy is unpredictable yet categorised as high intensity. Panic is counterproductive, but caution and planning are better than being caught unawares,” the minister said.

The first severe cyclone of this year is likely to hit Pakistan as the cash-strapped country is yet to recover fully from the unprecedented floods last year that killed over 1,700 people and affected more than 33 million.