Tropical storm “Nisarga” which is headed towards the coasts of Maharashtra and Gujarat, is forecast to intensify into a cyclone in the next 12 hours. This is the first cyclonic storm to influence the financial resources of India, which is over a century and has recorded more than 41,000 coronavirus cases so far.
In the next 24 hours, the India Meteorological Department or IMD said that it could further intensify into a “severe cyclonic storm.” High warnings have been raised in Mumbai and the neighboring districts.
The department asserted, “The depression over East-central Arabian Sea moved northwards with a speed of 11 kmph during past 06 hours intensified into a deep depression and lay centered at 0530 hours IST of today, the 02nd June 2020 over East-central Arabian Sea near latitude 15.0 N and longitude 71.2 E about 280 km west-southwest of Panjim (Goa), 490 km south-southwest of Mumbai (Maharashtra) and 710 km south-southwest of Surat (Gujarat).”
The statement further read, “It is very likely to intensify into a Cyclonic Storm during the next 12 hours and further into a Severe Cyclonic Storm during the subsequent 12 hours. It is very likely to move nearly northwards during the next 06 hours and recurve north-northeastwards thereafter and cross north Maharashtra and adjoining south Gujarat coast between Harihareshwar (Raigad, Maharashtra) and Daman during the afternoon of 03rd June.”
The Chief Minister ‘s Office said on Monday that Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra CEO through video conferences and reviewed the preparations for the State.
As such, thirty-one teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)-consisting of 45 personnel-have been deployed in both the states. The NDRF also stated that measures are taken to ensure that power supplies are not interrupted while the state is fighting the coronavirus outbreak and thousands of patients are being treated in many hospitals.
The Maharashtra Chief Minister’s office has further asked fishermen to come back from the sea with respective district collectors have been asked to ensure there is no loss of life. Hospitals that are not treating coronavirus patients will be made available for those needing medical assistance, the office also added.
The tropical storm is expected to land in Mumbai days after 99 people were killed in Bengal by Cyclone Amphan and lakhs of people were affected.