Cyclone Mocha likely to spare Bengal but state government not taking any chances

As a precautionary measure, disaster management teams have been stationed at Haldia, Ramnagar and Digha in East Midnapore; at Gosaba, Kultali and Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas and at Hingalgunj and Sandeshkhali in South 24 Parganas

The cyclone Mocha lay centered at 0230 hours IST of 12th May 2023 over Southeast adjoining Central Bay of Bengal about 520 km west-northwest of Port Blair.: PTI photo

Sougata Mukhopadhyay, TT, Calcutta, 12.05.23 :  A menacing looking tropical cyclone Mocha, which has already intensified into a very severe cyclonic formation, is unlikely to have much impact on the coasts of Bengal or, for that matter, on any part of India’s eastern coastline.

Latest satellite pictures show a threatening looking cloud mass moving over vast regions of south and central Bay of Bengal which is currently taking the predicted north-easterly recurved route towards the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.

Mocha would cross south-east Bangladesh and north Myanmar coasts between Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh and Kyaukpyu close to Sittwe in Myanmar around the noon of May 14 as a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 150-160 kmph gusting to 175 kmph, a communication from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on its official twitter handle read.

According to last received reports from the Met office, the storm lay centered at 870 kilometres south-southwest of Cox’s Bazar and 800 kilometres south-southwest of Sittwe and was moving north at a speed of about 12 kmph.

Even as the storm continues to gain strength over the Bay of Bengal waters, large-scale apprehensions are cast over the kind of damage it may cause in its wake to the flimsy Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar which is home to nearly one million refugees from adjacent Myanmar.

As for the Indian mainland, the Met office has issued warnings for Mizoram, Tripura and South Manipur, regions where the storm is likely to pass over, albeit in far reduced intensity after making landfall at its predicted geographic location.

The storm, accompanied by some heavy rainfall, is likely to cause some damage to unsecured structures and kutcha roads, while uprooting of trees and may destroy standing crops in these regions, the IMD warned.

In Bengal though, where the storm is predicted to dodge past, the administration isn't taking chances. Tarpaulins, dry food, drinking water pouches and baby food have been disbursed while people have been evacuated from the low lying coastal areas of North and South 24 Parganas districts as well as East Midnapore, a state official confirmed.

As a measure of abundant precaution, national as well as state disaster management teams have been stationed at Haldia, Ramnagar and Digha in East Midnapore, at Gosaba, Kultali and Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas and at Hingalgunj and Sandeshkhali in South 24 Parganas, officials said.

All three districts may experience some average rainfall accompanied by wind speed under 50 kmph on Saturday and Sunday, weather officials said.

While fishermen have been strictly warned to not venture out into the sea which would have choppy waters even near the coasts under the influence of the storm, tourists visiting the coastal areas have also been advised to exercise adequate caution.