CONCEPT – CYCLONE PHAILIN

Excellent study material for all civil services aspirants - begin learning - Kar ke dikhayenge!

 CONCEPT – CYCLONE PHAILIN

---

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

---

• Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) Phailin: It originated from a remnant cyclonic circulation from the South China Sea. The cyclonic circulation lay as a low pressure area over the Tenasserim coast on October 6, 2013. It subsequently moved over to the north Andaman Sea as a well-marked low pressure area on October 7.
• Movement: It concentrated into a depression over the same region on October 8 moving west-northwest wards, and then inensifi ed into a deep depression on the morning of October 9 and further into a cyclonic storm (CS), ‘Phailin’ in the evening of the same day. Moving northwest wards, it further intensifi ed into a severe cyclonic storm (SCS) in the morning of October 10 and into a VSCS in the forenoon of the same day over east central Bay of Bengal.
• Moving on: The VSCS Phailin crossed Odisha and the adjoining north Andhra Pradesh coast near Gopalpur (Odisha) around 2230 hours IST on October 12, 2013 with a sustained maximum surface wind speed of 200-210 kmph gusting up to 220 kmph. It caused very heavy rainfall over Odisha leading to fl oods and strong gale winds causing large scale structural damage and storm surges triggering widespread coastal inundation over Odisha.  
• Details: The maximum rainfall occurred over the northeast sector of the system centre at the time of landfall. A maximum 24 hour cumulative rainfall of 38 cm has been reported over Banki in Cuttack district of Odisha. Based on the post-cyclone survey report, a maximum storm surge of 3.5 meters above the astronomical tide has been estimated in the low lying areas of Ganjam district of Odisha in association with the cyclone and the in-land inundation of saline water extended upto about one kilometer from the coast.
• Odisha: The State of Odisha is vulnerable to multiple natural hazards. Due to its subtropical littoral location, the state is prone to various hydro-meteorological hazards such as tropical cyclones, storm surges and tsunamis. The state has a 480 km long coastline with a significantly high population density in the coastal areas as compared to the interior regions.
• Seasons: The State has two cyclone seasons, the fi rst during the pre-monsoon period (April – May) and the second during the post-monsoon period (September - November). In October 1999 the cyclone that hit Odisha was classifi ed as a ‘Super Cyclone’ due to its severity and left the state virtually paralyzed due to the destruction to its infrastructure and communication systems. The cyclone severely affected around 18 million people in 14 districts and left about 10,000 people dead. After the 1999 super cyclone, the state government has taken measures like the installation of modern communication systems, construction of cyclone shelters, and other improved infrastructure including pucca  houses for the poor in the cyclone prone areas to reduce the physical vulnerability of the coastal districts to cyclonic winds and tidal surges. However, with the increase in population in the coastal areas, and depletion of mangroves and shelter belts, the state continues to be vulnerable to cyclones.

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

---

---

Join UPSC Self Prep course | Online Course (PT Gurukul)  | Covid Special Course | Join PT courses

* Content sourced from free internet sources (publications, PIB site, international sites, etc.). Take your own subscriptions. Copyrights acknowledged.