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'Cyclones in the North Indian Ocean are gaining intensity and that too rapidly'
Updated On: 22 March, 2023 05:20 PM IST | Mumbai | Nascimento Pinto
Mumbai-based climate scientist Sridhar Balasubramanian observes that cyclones such as Tauktae cannot be stopped so the focus should be on reducing the impact. For the future, there is a need to preserve our ecosystem and create a robust climate-resilience framework
_d.jpg "'Cyclones in the North Indian Ocean are gaining intensity and that too rapidly'")
Dr Sridhar Balasubramanian, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Bombay, holds an adjunct faculty position in the IDP Climate Studies Centre. Photo: Dr Sridhar Balasubramanian
A week ago, Mumbai experienced the intense Cyclone Tauktae, which caused loss of life and property. Several neighbourhoods reported treefall and outages of electricity, phone networks, and internet, which went on for as many as four days in areas such as the Vasai-Virar belt. Worse, the impact of the disaster sank a barge named Papaa305 (P305) 40 nautical miles west of the Mumbai coast, claiming at least 70 lives.
Cyclone Yaas is expected to hit West Bengal on the evening of May 26 and could be as destructive as last year`s Amphan, experts have said. While the east coast of India is known to experience such damaging cyclones quite regularly, the scenario on the west coast had been different not long ago. Before the recent Tauktae, Maharashtra saw Cyclone Nisarga affect the city in 2020. That was the second cyclone in 10 years to reach close to the coastal city of Mumbai, after Cyclone Phyan in 2009. Trends in the region have changed such that the frequency and intensity of cyclones have been increasing in the last 10 years. Scientists say more, and intense, cyclones are expected in the coming years.
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