AHMEDABAD: Approximately 16.76 lakh people in 441 villages across eight coastal districts are expected to be affected by Cyclone Biparjoy, according to the state government's estimates.
The very severe cyclone, currently positioned about 300 km away from the Gujarat coast, is anticipated to make landfall in Kutch on June 15.
On Monday, several areas experienced heavy rainfall, with Veraval taluka recording 122mm, Sutrapada 118mm, Keshod and Maliya Hatina 85mm each, and Mangrol receiving 77 mm, among other regions. Overall, 57 talukas received rainfall of 1mm or more by 6pm on Monday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Ports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal held meetings with Gujarat officials to assess the preparedness.
A release by the union government stated, "The prime minister directed senior officers to take every possible measure to ensure that people living in vulnerable locations are safely evacuated by the state government and to ensure the maintenance of all essential services such as power, telecommunications, health, drinking water, etc., and are restored immediately in the event of damages caused to them."
In the evening, chief minister Bhupendra Patel convened a meeting at the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) with senior officials.
As of Monday evening, 6,827 individuals, including 3,243 salt workers, were shifted to safer locations from the coastal areas in the eight districts expected to be most impacted by the cyclone. The state has deployed 21 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 13 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), along with teams from roads and building, electricity, and health departments, strategically positioned throughout the state.
"To ensure safety, over 1,400 hoardings have been removed from coastal areas. Satellite phones, ham radios, and the GSWAN network are on standby in case of a communication blackout. Preparations have also been made for the welfare of animals and livestock," stated a senior official.
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