The met department has issued a warning to the state government and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, which has oil rigs off the coast of Mumbai.
For the next three to four days, coastal Maharashtra and Gujarat, including Mumbai, will receive heavy to very heavy rainfall with a “deep depression” over the Arabian Sea expected to turn into a cyclone, met officials have warned.
The depression “is most likely to get converted into cyclone” and hit the Gulf of Cambay between Dahanu (Maharashtra) and Mahuva (Gujarat) by Thursday, said RV Sharma, deputy director-general of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Mumbai.
The met department has issued a warning to the state government and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, which has oil rigs off the coast of Mumbai. Fishermen have been warned against venturing into the sea.
“We have alerted all our ward offices. Lifeguards deployed at beaches have been put on alert as well,” said acting municipal commissioner RA Rajeev. Indicating that there is no need to panic, he said winds are expected to blow at 75kmph as against 85kmph recorded on July 24, the day of this year’s highest tide.
This is the first time that Mumbai will be close to the direct impact of a cyclone in 10 years, said Kapil Gupta, professor at IIT, Bombay, and also an advisor on high tides and storm water drains to disaster management cell of the BMC.
Gupta, too, said that it will be a low-intensity cyclone and is unlikely to cause much damage.
‘The intensity of the cyclone is likely to be around 1 to 1.5 on scale of 4, which is much less. Moreover, the wind velocity is expected to be around 70 kmph,’ he said.
According to him, people should take precautions generally taken on a heavy rain day.
The depression, formed over southeast and east central Arabian Sea, is some 700 km south-southwest of Mumbai, Sharma said, adding that it is in ‘the stage before cyclone formation’.
Sea conditions are predicted to be very rough along and off the coast of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep.
The depression will lead to gusty winds, very rough sea and heavy to very heavy rainfall at most places along its path in Konkan, Goa and Madhya Maharashtra in the next 48 hours in next three to four days, Sharma said. Extremely heavy rainfall — around 250 mm — is likely in south Gujarat on Wednesday, he said.
Weathermen have also forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over coastal Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep in the next 24 hours.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}