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Brace up for Cyclone Asani

Published : Monday, 9 May, 2022 at 12:00 AM  Count : 699

Brace up for Cyclone Asani

Brace up for Cyclone Asani

Amid a mild heat wave sweeping over the regions of Rangamati, Sayedpur, Khulna, Mongla, Satkhira and Jessore districts - a deep depression over South-east of the Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas triggers worry, especially among the people of the coastal areas. The depression has already been turned into Cyclone Asani. The cyclone is named by Sri Lanka which means 'wrath' in Sinhalese.

However, the maximum sustained wind speed within 54km of the cyclonic storm centre was about 62kph to 88kph at the time of writing. What is in fact worrying, the cyclone is likely to intensify further and move in a north-westerly direction, according to a Met office bulletin. Consequently, the sea will remain very rough near the cyclonic centre and nearby areas. It is likely to hit India's Odisha and Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday and then move towards the coastal areas of the Sundarbans and Satkhira.

As a consequence, rain and thunder showers are likely to overwhelm the country. Rain or thunder showers with intense lightning flashes and temporary gusty or squally wind may also occur. However, yesterday in the morning the cyclone was centred about 1255km south-southwest of Chittagong port, 1175km south-southwest of Cox's Bazar port, 1250km south of Mongla port and 1205km south of Payra port.

Meanwhile, the maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to hoist Distant Warning Signal No 2 instead of Distant Cautionary Signal No 1. At the same time, all the fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay and deep sea have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution. They are also advised not to venture into the deep sea.

Good that in order to raise awareness--the Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) is already working with the people of the coastal districts. CPP is cooperation between the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief and the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society. Though the cyclone is heading towards India, it can well change its direction any moment. If it turns toward north, the coastal areas of Bangladesh will face devastation-causing massive loss of lives and resources.

Under these circumstances, District Commissioners of coastal districts and District Disaster Management Committee have been instructed to take preparation to cope with potential weather disaster. For now, initiatives taken by the authorities seem to be appropriate; but there are some limitations. For example, due to Covid-19 pandemic, maintaining distance is a challenge in the cyclone shelters.

In order to tackle any big scale disaster ministry, department, fire service team and other related institutions and organisations must take collective steps, otherwise a holistic approach to minimise deaths and damages. The authorities should remain vigilant and alert.






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