Cyclone Nisarga yesterday made landfall at Alibaug in Raigad district near Mumbai in Maharashtra. Heavy rains and strong winds shook coastal districts of Gujarat and Maharashtra. Trees uprooted and damaged pavements in Mumbai. Roads in Mumbai have been blocked due to fallen trees. In Maharashtra, more than 40,000 people were moved to safety.
Power supply to more than 25 lakh consumers of Maharashtra State was interrupted due to the cyclone. Cyclone with wind speeds of up to 120kmph, caused minor damage to life and property and the “worst is over”, NDRF chief SN Pradhan said on Wednesday evening. However, NDRF teams will remain deployed and assist state authorities in recovery work.
In Gujrat, no unfortunate incident was reported on the southern coast so far due to the severe cyclonic storm. More than 63,700 people in eight districts near the coastal area were shifted to safety.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray said that the courage shown by people and officials helped in “mitigating the intensity” of the cyclone which hung over the state amidst the COVID-19 crisis. After hitting the Maharashtra coast, the cyclone weakened in the evening and moved towards northeast Maharashtra, sparing Mumbai and other areas.
Cyclones around the world are named by RSMCs (Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres) and TCWCs (Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres). There are a total of six RSMCs and five TCWCs, including IMD. According to the sources, the name Nisarga is suggested by Bangladesh. This was the second cyclone to strike India’s coasts in nearly two weeks. Last month Cyclone Amphan, one of the worst storms to have formed over the Bay of Bengal in recent years, struck Bengal and parts of Odisha, killing nearly 100 people and affecting lakhs.
