Hummingbird News Desk
NEW DELHI, 16 MAY: The very severe cyclonic storm “Tauktae” (pronounced as Tau’Te) is hovering over east-central Arabian Sea, but it has wreaked havoc in the coastal and surrounding Malnad districts of Karnataka, leaving four persons dead.
According to a situation report by Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority officials on Sunday morning, 73 villages, 17 taluks in seven districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan have been affected by the cyclone so far.
Among the 73 villages affected, a maximum of 28 are from Udupi district. Among the four deaths reported so far one each are from Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga, officials said.
The Ministry of Earth Science in a statement said the cyclone –Tauktae has moved nearly northwards with a speed of about 11 kmph during past six hours and lay centred at 0530 hours IST of today, the 16th May, 2021 over east-central Arabian Sea near latitude 15.0°N and longitude 72.7°E, about 130 km west-southwest of Panjim-Goa, 450 km south of Mumbai, 700 km south-southeast of Veraval (Gujarat) and 840 km southeast of Karachi (Pakistan).
It is very likely to intensify during next 24 hours. It is very likely to move north-north-westwards and reach Gujarat coast in the evening hours of 17th& cross Gujarat coast between Porbandar & Mahuva (Bhavnagar district) around 18th May early morning, the ministry said.
As per the situation report, due to Cyclone Tauktae heavy to extremely heavy rainfall was observed over six districts — three coastal districts (Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada) and three Malnad districts (Shivamogga, Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru) — in the past 24 hours.
The rainfall was accompanied by gale winds speed reaching 70 to 80 km/hour, gusting at times upto 90 km/per along and off Karnataka coast, it said.
Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall was observed over the state mainly over coastal and Malnad districts during last night, it further said, 313 stations recorded more than 64.5 mm (heavy) rainfall in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara
Kannada, Shivamogga, Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru districts during 08:30 am on 15 May to 8.30 am on 16 May.
The highest rainfall of 385 mm was recorded at Nada Station in Kundapura taluk of Udupi district, and 15 stations recorded more than 200 mm of rainfall in the district.
There has been coastal erosion due to rough seas along the coast, roads along the shore have been damaged, the report said, there has also been uprooting of trees due to gale winds and damage to poles and transformers.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned light to moderate rainfall at most places, with heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places in the coastal and adjoining ghat districts of the state on Sunday.
Meanwhile, after reviewing meeting with the concerned States, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured them of all cooperation of the Central Government and its agencies. He said that maximum resources, government and private both, should be utilized to tackle the situation. Home Minister also directed District collectors to coordinate with the private industries and ensure that their disaster management wings are totally geared up. DCs were also asked to closely engage with organisations and volunteers working for social cause at the local level.
Tags: #Tauktae #CycloneTauktae #mumbai #clouds #storm #Tauktae #CycloneAlert #Goa
