During the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) meeting on Friday, Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba also evaluated the level of preparedness of Central ministries, agencies, and state governments to handle the crisis coming out of Cyclone Sitrang forming in the Bay of Bengal.
Gauba emphasized that all preventive and precautionary measures should be taken by the concerned authorities of the state governments and concerned agencies of the Centre, before the cyclone makes landfall, as the goal should be to keep the loss of life to a minimum and minimize damage to property and infrastructure. She did this by reviewing the preparedness measures of the states and Central agencies.
According to an IMD report, the low-pressure region that originated over the north Andaman Sea is forecast to move west-northwestward, concentrate into a depression over the east-central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal on October 22, and then become a deep depression on October 23.
It will then probably recurve northward on October 24 and develop into a cyclonic storm over the west-central and adjacent east-central Bay of Bengal. After that, it is expected to keep moving gradually north-north eastward, passing across the coast of Odisha on the way to the West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts on October 25.
"The Committee was briefed by the Director General of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on the current status of the weather system in the Bay of Bengal, which is forecast to travel north on October 24 and intensify into a cyclonic storm. It is then anticipated to travel northeast, passing the Odisha Coast, and arriving at the West Bengal and Bangladesh shores on October 25. Around midnight on October 25th, it is expected to pass across Bangladesh and the neighboring West Bengal Coasts "said in a statement by the Cabinet Secretariat.
According to a weather forecast released by IMD, moderately widespread rainfall with occasional heavy rains, thunderstorms, and lightning is likely across Odisha from October 23 to 25 and over Gangetic West Bengal from October 24 to 26.
It said, "Isolated very heavy rainfall is forecast over Odisha on October 24 and Gangetic West Bengal on October 25."
Sanjib Bandopadhyay, the deputy director-general of Regional Met Centre in Kolkata, said that the system is likely to cause light to moderate rain in Gangetic West Bengal, with isolated heavy rain in the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur.
He said that it is likely to cause light to moderate rain in Kolkata on October 24 and 25.
He told reporters in this district that on October 24, wind speeds will reach 45 to 55 km/h gusting to 65 km/h in the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur, while on October 25, wind speeds will reach 90 to 100 km/h gusting to 110 km/h. He predicted that winds would gust to 50 kmph in Kolkata and the nearby districts of Howrah and Hooghly.
It won't be a super cyclone, and the IMD will provide updates on the system's progress as needed, according to Bandopadhyay.
