Cyclone Biparjoy Live: Cyclone around 180km away from Gujarat Jakhau port, landfall by today evening

Authorities have issued a 'red' alert for parts of Rajasthan as it will receive heavy to very heavy rain on Friday and Saturday in the wake of cyclone Biparjoy. The 'red' alert has been issued for Barmer and Jalore for Friday, and Jodhpur, Pali and Nagaur for Saturday. Meanwhile, an 'orange' alert has been issued in Rajsamand Friday, while it will come to effect in Jaipur, Ajmer, Tonk and Nagaur on Saturday.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is supporting the government of Pakistan's efforts to prepare for and respond to the public health impact of Tropical Cyclone Biparjoy. WHO's Incident Management Support Team (IMST) has been activated to ensure coordination of all health activities on the ground by health cluster partners and federal and provincial health ministries, as well as mobilise resources for preparedness and response activities. Additionally, WHO has prepositioned essential emergency medicines in Sindh, including oral rehydration salts (ORS), aqua tabs, and essential medicine, to assist vulnerable communities affected by the cyclone by ensuring uninterrupted access to health care and limiting the spread of infectious diseases. A technical working group has been established to oversee the cyclone emergency preparedness plan and mechanism for the response.

Ahead of Cyclone Biparjoy's landfall on Thursday, the Ministry of Defence said that all armed forces including the Army, Navy, Air Force and Indian Coast Guard have made necessary preparation to provide assistance to the local people of Gujarat. Ministry of Defence Spokesperson in Gujarat, Wing Commander N Manish on Thursday said, "In consonance with its firm resolve to mitigate the hardships felt by the population in times of natural disaster all armed forces that is the Army, Navy, Air Force and Indian Coast Guard have prepared themselves to provide assistance to the locals in view of Cyclone Biparjoy in Gujarat", Wing Commander N Manish, Defence PRO and Spokesperson MoD, Gujarat said.

The speed of Cyclone Biporjoy has reduced but the wind speed will be around 110-125kmph, which is very dangerous: Alok Pandey, relief commissioner, Gandhinagar

In the wake of the very severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy set to make landfall in Gujarat on Thursday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert for heavy rainfall in the coastal region of Karnataka, as well as the the southern interior parts. The Department has also warned of high waves in the wake of the cyclone. Heavy rain is expected to continue in all thee three districts of the coastal region -- Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada. In Uttara Kannada, district authorities have declared a high wave alert till June 19. It is predicted that waves may reach up to three to four meters.

Preemptive measures for the safety of life at sea and property were initiated by the Coach Guard Regional Headquarters in Mumbai as well as by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center. So far for a period of almost ten days, we have worn and shepherded more than 1,600 fishing boats and around 5,000 merchant vessels to safety. We also launched Coast Guard Donald and Chetak Helicopter to assess the situation and warn the traffic to proceed for safety: Mukund Gujar DIG Coast Guard, Mumbai

India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday morning said that Cyclone Biparjoy, at present, is moving north-northeastwards towards Saurashtra and Kutch coast and is around 180 km away from Jakhau port. Director General of the India Meteorological Department, Mrityunjay Mohapatra, gave an update on the movement of Cyclone Biparjoy in the Arabian Sea. "This morning Cyclone Biparjoy is moving north-northeastwards towards Saurashtra and Kutch coast and is around 180 km away from Jakhau port. It is currently centred on the northeast Arabian Sea. The wind speed is 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph. By the evening, it will reach the coast and hit the Saurashtra-Kutch coast near Jakhau port and the Pakistan coast. The predicted wind speed is 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph, a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm", said the IMD Director General.

Heavy rain lashes parts of Aravalli district under the influence

Around 62,000 people have been evacuated to safer places in Pakistan's southern Sindh province ahead of Cyclone Biparjoy's expected landfall on Thursday. Biparjoy, currently a “very severe cyclonic storm”, is inching closer to India and Pakistan, prompting authorities to take preventive measures to minimise the damage it may cause to life and property. It is expected to make landfall between Keti Bandar Port in Sindh's Thatta district and Kutch district in India.

As the very severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy is set to make landfall in Pakistan and India on Thursday, authorities in Sindh province are "prepared for the worst", with tens of thousands of people being evacuated to safer areas. The Pakistan Meteorological Department's (PMD) latest advisory released on Wednesday night showed that Biparjoy had moved north-eastwards during the past six hours, reports Dawn news. Late on Wednesday night, the cyclone lay at about 310 km south of Karachi, 300 km south-southwest of Thatta and 240 km south-southwest of Keti Bandar.

Delhi is expected to witness light rains and gusty winds on Thursday, according to the weather department. The city is expected to receive light rains under the influence of Cyclone Biparjoy, which is gaining steam in the Arabian Sea, private forecasting agency Skymet Weather had said earlier this week. Delhiites woke up to an overcast sky as the minimum temperature settled at 29.1 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's average. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 39 degrees Celsius.

Between 4pm and 8pm today, Cyclone Biparjoy is predicted to make a fierce landfall close to Gujarat's Jakhau, packing winds of 125–135 kmph gusting up to 150 kmph in the coastal regions. As a cyclone approaches your location, the following are the things you should and shouldn't do as an early action is essential if a cyclone alert is in effect.

Union home minister Amit Shah is expected to reach Bhuj by today evening to oversee relief and rescue operation

Strong winds in the coastal town of Dwarka as Biparjoy approaches Gujarat coast to make landfall today evening. Dwarka is expected to see extremely heavy rainfall today due to the cyclone.

As cyclone Biparjoy has hit several parts of Gujarat, Kachchh's Mandvi, on Thursday, witnessed rough sea conditions and strong winds. Earlier, the Indian Meteorological Department, on Sunday, gave a cyclone alert for Saurashtra and Kutch coasts in Gujarat. The department issued the alert: "Cyclone alert for Saurashtra and Kutch coast: Yellow message, ESCS BIPARJOY over East-central Arabian sea, at 1730 IST of 11th June near lat 18.6E and long 67.7E, likely to cross between Mandvi (Gujarat) and Karachi (Pakistan) by noon of 15th June".

Cyclone Biparjoy is less than 200 kilometres from the Gujarat coast and its impending landfall on Thursday evening, along with the anticipated heavy rain and storm surge, have led to the evacuation of 74,000 people living in vulnerable areas, authorities have said. The administration has shifted people from nearly 120 villages located between zero and 10 km from the seashore in Kutch district. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Biparjoy is expected to make landfall near Jakhau port as a “very severe cyclonic storm” with maximum wind speed reaching up to 150 kilometres per hour.

After going northwards for the majority of the day and even remaining stagnant for nearly six hours in the afternoon, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) at 9.30pm on Wednesday indicated that Cyclone Biparjoy took an eastward turn. The cyclone is now likely to make landfall north of Jakhau in Kutch district on Thursday evening. The manoeuvre was on expected lines, said experts. The IMD bulletin indicated that the cyclone picked up speed at 6 kmph as the system moved towards Kutch coast in a near-straight line. At 10.30pm, the cyclone was 220 km southwest of Jakhau Port, 230 km west-southwest of Devbhoomi Dwarka, 240 km west-southwest of Naliya, and 300 km west of Porbandar.

Dwarkadhish Temple in Devbhumi Dwarka closed for devotees today in view of Cyclone Biparjoy

The Western Railway (WR) on Wednesday decided to cancel or short- terminate the operation of a few more trains as a precaution in view of the powerful cyclone 'Biparjoy' which is expected to make landfall in adjoining Gujarat on Thursday evening. In a release, the WR said seven more trains have been cancelled, three short-terminated and four other services short-originated in view of safety of passengers and train operations as the cyclone approaches the Gujarat coast. The release said so far 76 trains have been cancelled, 36 short-terminated and 31 short-originated. In addition, various safety and security precautions are being taken by the WR for train passengers in areas under its jurisdiction, according to the release. Affected passengers will get a refund of fares as per rules, it added.

In the wake of cyclone 'Biparjoy' approaching Gujarat's coastal areas, Border Security Force (BSF) has made adequate preparations to combat any challenges arising out of the impending storm. The Inspector General of BSF Gujarat, Ravi Gandhi visited the coastal areas of Bhuj and took stock of the preparedness to deal with any situation. Speaking to ANI, BSF IG Ravi Gandhi said, "BSF forces are deployed at the international border. As per the IMD assessment, the concerned area is from Mandvi to Karachi. Our forces are alert with full preparation. We are helping people who are approaching us with any concerns. We are also in contact with other security forces like NDRF".

While the state education department has ordered closure of schools in six coastal districts of the state during the landfall of Cyclone Biparjoy, a few schools in Ahmedabad city have voluntarily decided to remain closed for one or two days. However, due to lack of instructions, many schools are undecided on whether they should continue teaching. Sources saidthat some schools have decided to remain closed on June 15 while some have decided to remain closed for June 15-16. However, other schools will take a decision after monitoring the situation in the city. Sources said that the education department has left it to the school administrations whether to declare holidays on these days or to keep functioning.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has taken measures to ensure citizen safety during heavy rainfall. With the opening of 24 control rooms across the city, residents can now lodge complaints via WhatsApp at +91 9978355303. To prevent any untoward incidents, all entertainment facilities, including Atal Bridge, will be closed. The AMC and police department will monitor CCTV cameras at junctions and BRTS corridors to detect waterlogging or any other incidents. Traffic officers will also be stationed throughout the city to report wa terlogging or emergencies. As a precautionary measure, the AMC has removed all materials, including boats, from the river. This step was taken in anticipation of heavy rain and subsequent warnings in the city and Sabarmati river catchment area. In line with their preparedness plan, the AMC has announced the closure of Atal Bridge and the lower promenade of Sabarmati Riverfront on June 15-16. Recreational activities on the riverfront, including Kids City, Kankaria Zoo, Balvatika, Naginawadi, Butterfly Garden, and Kankaria L akefront, has also been cancelled. The Sabarmati lower promenade and Kankaria Lakefront will be closed to morning walkers.

Various government agencies are working overtime to ensure ‘zero casualty’ and over 74,000 people were evacuated to shelter homes as on Wednesday evening. Of these, some 35,000 were in shelters of Kutch alone, brooding over losses that the storm would inflict on their livelihoods, mainly fishing. Sultan Miya, an evacuee taking shelter in a facility at Naliya, said, “All of us are extremely scared of losing our hard-earned property like home and our boats.” State commissioner of relief Alok Kumar Pandey said 5,000 more were shifted by late evening.

Tro pical cyclones, generally arriving in June, give ample rainfall during its proximity to Gujarat and after landfall. But it also results in reduction in rainfall in July, indicate records for the past three major cyclones experienced by the state. The data for 2019 to 2021 indicate that the aftermath of cyclones gave above average rainfall in June – 13 to 15% of the season – whereas it also gave below average July rains – 21 to 28% of the season. In comparison, 2018 and 2022 – non-cyclonic years – saw 8% rainfall in June and 45 to 65% rain in July.

Often hailed for its people's resilience and scripting a staggering industrial saga after rising from the 2001 killer earthquake, Kutch is once again in the grip of nature's wrath as Cyclone Biparjoy muscles into the desert district today with a ferocity that can cause widespread damage. Biparjoy is expected to crash ashore near fishing port Jakhau between 4pm and 8pm, packing winds of 125-135 kmph and gusting to 150 kmph along the districts of not just Kutch, but Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Junagadh and Morbi too.