CYCLONE Nisarga lashes western India; NDRF deployed

AS forecast by the IMD, Cyclone Nisarga made landfall at Diveagar in Alibaug, about  100 km from Mumbai, around 13:15 pm IST on Wednesday, June 02. It is expected to move north north-westwards and cross Maharashtra coast, close to the south of Alibaug during the next 3 hours as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 100-110 Kmph gusting to 120 Kmph, says AIR. Ahead of landfall, heavy rain lashed Raigad, Palghar, Thane, Mumbai city and suburbs, Navi Mumbai, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Satara districts. A ship of Narmada Cement has strayed in Mire at Ratnagiri due to a broken anchor. Efforts are underway to bring the ship ashore. weather remains cloudy in the coastal districts of South Gujarat since today morning. Light showers continued in union territory Daman and coastal districts including Valsad, Tapi and Navsari. High tides were seen in the Arabian Sea near Daman as well as Devbhoomi Dwaraka. Additional Chief Secretary Pankaj Kumar said that over 50 thousand people from the low-lying areas of south Gujarat have been shifted to safe locations. Mr. Kumar said the Industrial units in Vapi will remain closed today. Gujarat govt said there has been no major impact of Cyclone Nisarga on the state’s coast so far. Over 63,700 people living close to the coast in 8 districts have  been shifted to safer places as a precautionary measure. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Nisarga will take three hours to complete the process and gradually enter the Mumbai and Thane districts of Maharashtra. The weather office has warned that Cyclone Nisarga will severely affect the coastal districts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Gujarat and other neighbouring states. All the safety measures have been put in place in the chemical industries of Surat and Valsad. 15 teams of NDRF have been deployed in the coastal areas of the state to tackle any unforeseen situation. About 30,000 citizens from various coastal parts of Maharashtra have been shifted to safer structures. In Mumbai, Ward officers of wards closer to the western coast have been instructed to evacuate people from dangerous and coastal settlements to safer places.
Nearly 150 patients at its COVID facility in Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai have been shifted to another location as a precaution in the wake of the cyclone. 
The Central Railway rescheduled, diverted and regulated some special trains, including five special trains departing from Mumbai. Another three special trains will be either diverted or regulated en route. Twenty-one teams of National Disaster Response Force, four teams of State Disaster Response Force along with Navy and Coast guard have been deployed in Maharashtra to conduct evacuations and necessary relief and rehabilitation measures. ZEE NEWS says as a precautionary measure, the NDRF has evacuated around 1500 people staying in a shelter at Thal near Alibaug. The teams also evacuated people from Uttan and Mira Bhayandar, an official said. The teams conducted a recce of Palghar and Raigad coast early on Wednesday, the official said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to the chief ministers of the two states on Tuesday and assured them all possible help from the Centre. Nearly 43,000 people living near the coastline in Gujarat’s Valsad and Navsari districts have been shifted to safer places as the state prepares to face the approaching cyclonic storm, officials said. All fishing boats which were out in the sea off Palghar coast have returned, an official said. As many as 577 fishing boats from Palghar had gone out in the sea and till Monday evening, 564 came back.