Gujarat Cyclone Biparjoy Update: Wind Speed Drops After Landfall

A few hours after making landfall in India’s Gujarat, Cyclone Biparjoy’s wind speed has decreased to an average of 78 kilometers per hour (48 miles per hour), according to officials in the Indian state.

“According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and local data collectors, the cyclone hit Gujarat at 10pm [17:30 GMT] with a high wind speed of 108kph [67mph], but it is now moving at an average speed of 78 kph [48mph] towards Bujh district close to the border with Pakistan,” said Alok Pandey, Relief Commissioner of Gujarat.

Biparjoy, meaning “disaster” or “calamity” in Bengali, was centered in the Arabian Sea 30km (19 miles) off Jakhau port in the western Indian state, near the border with Pakistan, according to weather officials.

Classified as a category one storm, the least severe on a scale of one to five, Biparjoy was expected to cause damage to temporary thatched homes, standing crops, plantations, and public infrastructure.

Prior to landfall, Biparjoy had maximum sustained winds of up to 145kph (90mph) while situated approximately 280km (174 miles) from Jakhau port in Gujarat.

Read also: Wildfire Smoke from Canada Blankets Eastern US, Triggering Air Quality Warnings.

The weather office has issued a caution about possible disruptions to the railway network. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) warned that tidal waves in the Arabian Sea could rise as high as two to three meters (seven to 10 feet), potentially inundating low-lying coastal areas.

Over 100,000 people have been evacuated from eight coastal districts in Gujarat and relocated to shelters, according to the state government.

In neighboring Pakistan, where authorities have completed evacuations, around 82,000 people were moved from high-risk coastal areas. Make-shift relief quarters have been set up in school auditoriums and other government buildings to accommodate the displaced in both countries.

As the storm approached land, the windspeed increased around Jakhau, said Amit Arora, a revenue official in the region of Kutch (Kachchh), where over 50,000 people have been evacuated.

Read also: ‘Dead’ Woman Found Breathing in Coffin Leaves Mourners in Awe.

Strong winds disrupted power supplies across the Kutch district in Gujarat, according to Amit Arora, a top district official.

Television footage from India showed high waves crashing on the shores of many coastal areas of Gujarat, with winds bending tall trees and causing some structures to be displaced. Witnesses in the coastal town of Mandvi reported uprooted trees, while other districts in the state experienced fallen trees and moderate rain.

Khair Muhammed, a 46-year-old fisherman, has been taking shelter at a relief camp set up by the Sindh government in Golarchi, a city 170km (105 miles) north of Keti Bandar. “We are given shelter in a small school that can accommodate 100 people. Life is quite difficult here,” Muhammed told Al Jazeera, adding, “The government told us we cannot go back to our village before June 18, so all day, we just sit here, waiting and hoping the cyclone does not destroy our boats.”

Pakistan’s climate change minister, Sherry Rehman, assured that Karachi, an economic hub with a population of approximately 20 million people, faced no immediate threat. However, emergency measures were being taken to protect against the expected winds and rain.

“There is no need to panic. Such storms are always unpredictable. But rest assured that we have all our arrangements in place,” said Rehman.

A 2021 study revealed a significant increase in the frequency, duration, and intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea between 1982 and 2019.

Follow us on Twitter for more news updates.