Cyclone Tauktae

What is the issue?

• The recent Cyclone Tauktae has left a trail of death and destruction before making landfall in Gujarat.
• This reminds again that accurate forecasts and resilience-building hold the key to handling severe cyclones.

How severe was Cyclone Tauktae?

• Cyclone Tauktae swelled into an extremely severe cyclonic storm.
• It led to dumping enormous volumes of water all along the west coast.
• The cyclone caused loss of life in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat, before weakening overland.
• The twin crises of the cyclone and COVID-19 have strained the capacities of multiple States, especially the coastal ones.

What are IMD’s recent measures?

• In 2020, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) launched an impact-based cyclone warning system.
• This was designed to reduce economic losses by focusing on districts and specific locations.
• It incorporates such factors as population, infrastructure, land use and settlements.
• The IMD also claimed that its accuracy of forecasts, for instance, in plotting landfall location, is now better.
• Together with ground mapping of vulnerabilities, this is a promising approach to avoid loss of life and destruction of property.

What are the priorities now?

• Developing greater expertise in forecasting and disaster mitigation is essential.
• Crafting policies to increase resilience among communities is another priority.
• Arabian Sea has emerged as a major source of severe cyclones.
• Their intensity is aggravated by long-term rise in sea surface temperatures linked to pollution over South Asia and its neighbourhood.
• So importance of precise early warnings is high now than before.
• Climate-proofing lives and dwellings is also a high priority now.
• This calls for a multi-sectoral approach:

1. to build sturdy homes of suitable design
2. create adequate storm shelters
3. provide accurate early warnings
4. ensure financial protection against calamities through insurance for property and assets

Source: The Hindu