Cyclone may hit Goa by tomorrow

| 22 May 2001 22:53 IST

Cyclone may strike the Konkan coast, from Karwar in Karnataka to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, including the entire Goa state, by tomorrow afternoon.

Strong winds have already started blowing here, while the storm is presently 350 kms away, towards west-south west of Goa.

According to S R Bajpai, the director of India Meteorological Observatory, gale force winds at the speed of 80 to 100 kms per hour are likely to be experienced over the sea area of Karnataka and Konkan-Goa coast.

The observatory also expects rains, categorised as heavy and very heavy, over the coast of Karnataka, Konkan, Goa as well as many places of Kerala and Lakshdweep.

Though cyclonic winds have passed Goa-Konkan coast even in the past when it had struck Gujarat coast, Bajpai says those winds were far away and were not dangerous as these winds.

The storm situation is likely to intensify further, says Bajpai, with the winds moving initially in the east-north eastern direction. It is likely to cross the coast between Karwar to Ratnagiri by tomorrow afternoon.

As the sea condition would be high and very high, fishermen along the Goa and Konkan coast are alerted not go for fishing in the next 48 hours.

Meanwhile, the state machinery has also been kept ready here to face any kind of eventuality, says chief secretary Balleshwar Rai. He is holding an emergency meeting in the evening to review the contingency plan to face any kind of disaster.

Goa, till date, is not hit by any kind of such cyclone.

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