Impact of 'Amfan': Damage expected in two states, heavy rains in eight states

Cyclone Amfan will hit the Digha coast of West Bengal between noon and evening on Wednesday, changing from a super cyclone to a very severe storm. During this time, strong winds will reach up to 180 kilometers per hour and there will be strong rains. Three lakh people have been evacuated from the coastal areas of West Bengal amid fears of widespread destruction.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an Orange Alert for West Bengal. The storm may cause heavy damage in Kolkata, Hooghly, Howrah, South and North 24 Parganas and Midnapore districts.

IMD has warned that heavy rains are expected in 12 districts of the state due to the storm hitting the Odisha coast. Six districts can also cause massive destruction due to the storm. At the same time, the second smallest state of the country, Sikkim, will also be affected by the cyclone, there may be heavy rains in many areas. Also, there will be light rain in the lowlands of the state.

The Meteorological Department has said that heavy rains may occur in many parts of Assam and Meghalaya by May 21. On the other hand, heavy rains are forecast for three days with strong winds in the coastal areas of Kerala and Karnataka, two states of South India. At the same time, there is a possibility of rain with strong wind in Bihar.

The IMD said that on May 15, a low pressure and then deep low pressure zone began to form in the Bay of South Bengal, 900 km south-east of Visakhapatnam. On 17 May, when it was 1200 km from Digha, it turned into a cyclone and started moving towards north-northwest at a speed of 8 km / h. Then on the evening of 18 May it turned into a super cyclone.

Director General of Meteorological Department, Dr Mritunjay Mohapatra said that there is a possibility of delay in arrival of monsoon in Kerala due to super cyclone. He told that in Kerala, monsoon may come on June 5 instead of June 1. In this way, the monsoon will reach the rest of the country with a delay of four days. Meanwhile, 10 states including Odisha, Kerala, Assam are receiving rains due to the storm.

According to the Meteorological Department, super cyclone will not be affected over North and Central India. However, when it hits the ground around Sagar Island, the wind speed will be 165 km. Light rains may occur in Rewa, Shahdol, Sagar, Jabalpur of Madhya Pradesh. At the same time, it reached its peak on Tuesday afternoon with winds of 200-240 kmph.

At the same time, the Meteorological Department told the NCMC meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajeev Gauba that the worst damage due to the storm will be in six districts of West Bengal and Odisha.