Threat of cyclonic storm hitting Gujarat recedes

The threat of a cyclonic storm hitting Gujarat appeared to have receded by Thursday evening as remnants of cyclone Gulab which had turned into a depression moved away westwards. The depression is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm away from the Gujarat coast, as per the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) report. Moderate rains were recorded in the coastal districts of Saurashtra and Kutch during the day. "The depression over northeast Arabian Sea off Gujarat coast moved west-northwestwards with a speed of about 15 km per hour in the last six hours and lay centered at 190 km west northwest of Devbhoomi Dwarka coast of Gujarat, 200 km south southeast of Karachi of Pakistan and 730 km east southeast of Chabahar port of Iran," the latest bulletin of the IMD said. "It is very likely to move west-northwestwards and intensify into a deep depression over northeast Arabian Sea off north Gujarat coast during the next 12 hours," the weather department said. It is then very likely to move further west-northwestwards and intensify into a cyclonic storm during the subsequent 12 hours, the IMD said. "Thereafter, it is likely to continue to move towards Pakistan-Makran coasts," it added. IMD had earlier warned of heavy rainfall for the next two days in the coastal districts of Jamnagar, Porbandar, Dwarka and Kutch, and asked fishermen not to venture into the sea. Districts of Dwarka and Kutch received moderate rains along with Surendranagar and Botad districts of Saurashtra between 6 am to 8 pm, the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) said. Kalyanpur taluka in Dwarka district received 113 mm of rainfall during this period while Khambhalia in the same district received 56 mm of rainfall, it said. Lakhpat and Mandvi talukas in Kutch district received 47 mm of rainfall each, while Chotila and Thangadh talukas of Surendranagar received 56 and 52 mm of rain, the SEOC said in its release. Junagadh, Amreli, Dwarka, Jamnagar and Rajkot districts received heavy rains on Wednesday due to the present weather system, the SEOC said.

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