South Asian Correspondent

Tag: Cyclone

  • Cyclone Remal weakens, turns into deep depression

    Cyclone Remal weakens, turns into deep depression

    Cyclone Remal weakens,
    Cyclone Remal weakens

    Dhaka: The strong Cyclone Remal, located in Khulna’s Koira, has turned to a deep depression after weakening, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said in its latest bulletin.

    It has moved northwards and weakened as a deep depression and is currently staying in Jashore and adjoining areas. Payra, Mongla, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar seaports have been asked to hoist local warning signal-3.

    Ships being brought back to Chattogram port

    As the impact of Cyclone Rimal diminishes, the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has taken the initiative to bring back the ships to the port.

    The 19 ships that were sent back to the deep sea during high tide yesterday (26 May) will be brought back to the jetties of Chattogram port soon.

    Additionally, 49 bulk cargo ships, which were obstructed from unloading goods and sent back to the deep sea, will also be brought back to the outer anchorage, confirmed Secretary of port authority Mohammad Omar Faruq.

    A file photo of the Chattogram port.
    A file photo of the Chattogram port.

    Remal to cross over Dhaka this afternoon: BMD chief

    The centre of cyclonic storm Remal, currently moving through the eastern part of Jashore, is expected to hit the capital city around 3pm today (27 May).

    Azizur Rahman, director of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), confirmed this and said the city will experience gusty winds and heavy showers at the time of its passing.

    Metro service resumes hours after power supply disruption halts movement

    Metro rail service resumed at 11am after the service was halted earlier in the morning due to a technical glitch .

    There was a problem with the power supply in the catenary line. After fixing the issue, railway movement was normalised around 11am, DMTCL Public Relations Officer Nazmul Islam Bhuiyan told TBS.

    Heavy rain, waterlogging in Chattogrm

    Chattogram has been experiencing heavy rain under the influence of Cyclone Rimal, which resulted in flooding in the low-lying areas of the city.

    According to Chattogram’s Patenga Meteorological Office, 205.4 mm of rain was recorded in the city over the past 24 hours, from 9am yesterday (26 May) to 9am today (27 May).

    This morning alone – between 6-9am, 132 millimetres of rainfall was recorded.

    Cyclone Remal weakens into cyclonic storm: IMD

    The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that Remal has weakened from a severe cyclonic storm to a cyclonic storm this morning and is expected to gradually weaken further.

    In a weather bulletin, IMD said, “Severe Cyclonic Storm Remal over Coastal Bangladesh and adjoining Coastal West Bengal weakened into Cyclonic Storm at 0530hrs of the 27 May about 70km northeast of Canning and 30km westsouthwest of Mongla.”

  • Severe cyclone to hit India’s west coast, south Pakistan on Thursday

    Severe cyclone to hit India’s west coast, south Pakistan on Thursday

    View of anchored fishing boats, after ban imposed on coastal activities following the cyclonic storm, Biparjoy, over the Arabian Sea, at Karachi’s Fish Harbour, in Karachi, Pakistan June 10, 2023. REUTERS
    View of anchored fishing boats, after ban imposed on coastal activities following the cyclonic storm, Biparjoy, over the Arabian Sea, at Karachi’s Fish Harbour, in Karachi, Pakistan June 10, 2023. REUTERS

    New Delhi: A storm off India’s west coast has strengthened to become a powerful cyclone, which could hit India’s western state of Gujarat and southern parts of Pakistan this week, the weather department said.

    The cyclone, named Biparjoy, is expected to make landfall on Thursday afternoon between Mandvi in Gujarat and Karachi in Pakistan with a maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 km per hour, gusting up to 150 km per hour, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.

    The weather office has advised fishing communities to halt operations and the evacuation of people from the coastal areas of Saurashtra and Kutch regions of Gujarat.

    Two of India biggest ports – Mundra and Kandla – are in the Gulf of Kutch, while the Jamnagar refinery, the world’s biggest oil refinery complex owned by Reliance Industries (RELI.NS), is based in Saurashtra.

    Seven teams of India’s National Disaster Response Force and 12 teams of State Disaster Response Force have been deployed in the districts likely to be affected by the storm, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said in a Tweet.

    Nearly a dozen districts in coastal Gujarat would be affected by heavy rainfall and gusting winds, although some of the districts are sparsely populated, which would limit the damage, said a weather office official, who declined to be named.

    A 1998 cyclone killed at least 4,000 people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage in Gujarat.

    Biparjoy delayed the onset of the annual monsoon over the southern state of Kerala, but now conditions are favourable for the progress of much-needed rains in some more parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu states, the weather office said.

  • Hundreds of thousands to be evacuated as Bangladesh and Myanmar brace for severe cyclone

    Hundreds of thousands to be evacuated as Bangladesh and Myanmar brace for severe cyclone

    Cyclone Mocha is expected to hit land on Sunday with wind speeds of up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour and gusts up to 175 kph (110 mph) between Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh and Kyaukpyu in Myanmar
    Cyclone Mocha is expected to hit land on Sunday with wind speeds of up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour and gusts up to 175 kph (110 mph) between Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh and Kyaukpyu in Myanmar

    Dhaka: Authorities in Bangladesh and Myanmar prepared to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people Friday, warning them to stay away from coastal areas as a severe cyclone churned in the Bay of Bengal.

    Cyclone Mocha is expected to hit land on Sunday with wind speeds of up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour and gusts up to 175 kph (110 mph) between Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh and Kyaukpyu in Myanmar, India’s Meteorological Department said.

    Bangladesh, a delta nation with more than 160 million people, is prone to natural disasters such as floods and cyclones. The evacuation of nearly 500,000 people is expected to start Saturday with 576 cyclone shelters ready to provide refuge to those who are moved from their homes along the coast, said Bangladesh government administrator Muhammad Shaheen Imran.

    “This is the first cyclone system in the north Indian Ocean this year,” said Rajendra Kumar Jenamani, a senior scientist at the Indian Meteorological Department. “The cyclone is severe and will likely affect millions of fishers and coastal communities in Bangladesh and Myanmar.”

    In May 2008, Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar with a storm surge that devastated populated areas around the Irrawaddy River delta. At least 138,000 people died and tens of thousands of homes and other buildings were washed away.

    Cyclone Mocha is expected to hit land on Sunday with wind speeds of up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour and gusts up to 175 kph (110 mph) between Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh and Kyaukpyu in Myanmar
    Cyclone Mocha is expected to hit land on Sunday with wind speeds of up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour and gusts up to 175 kph (110 mph) between Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh and Kyaukpyu in Myanmar

    Myanmar authorities warned of possible flash floods and landslides in coastal areas as residents stocked up on essential supplies, said Hla Tun, a director at the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

    Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune city, said cyclones in the Bay of Bengal are becoming more intense more quickly, in part because of climate change.

    The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that emergency response exercises were being conducted in various regions. It said thousands of people living along the western coast of Rakhine state where the storm is expected to pass are being evacuated.

    In Bangladesh, control rooms in cyclone-prone areas were ready for emergency support. Three ports were put on alert, Imran said.

    He said the government has allocated dry food, rice and cash and organized thousands of volunteers for relief work under the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society.

    Cyclone Mocha is expected to hit coastal districts including Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Noakhali and Bhola in Bangladesh on Sunday.

    The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed eight teams and 200 rescuers in West Bengal to handle any exigencies. Alerts have been issued for some northeastern states and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands under the influence of the weather system.
    The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed eight teams and 200 rescuers in West Bengal to handle any exigencies. Alerts have been issued for some northeastern states and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands under the influence of the weather system.

    India’s Meteorological Department said the storm was centered more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) southwest of Cox’s Bazar and 930 kilometers (580 miles) southwest of Sittwe in Myanmar on Friday and was moving northward at 9 kph (5 mph).

    Fishermen and ships were advised not to venture into the southeastern Bay of Bengal and northern Andaman Sea, it said.

    The department said it was expecting heavy to very heavy rainfall in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and parts of India’s remote northeast.

    Climate scientists say cyclones can now retain their energy for many days, such as Cyclone Amphan in eastern India in 2020 which continued to travel over land as a strong cyclone and caused extensive devastation. “As long as oceans are warm and winds are favorable, cyclones will retain their intensity for a longer period,” Koll said.

    Cyclones are among the most devastating natural disasters in the world, especially if they affect densely populated coastal regions in South Asia.