Normal life in parts of Andaman and Nicobar Islands was affected on Sunday due to rain and strong winds due to Cyclone Asani, which is likely to intensify within 24 hours.
Inter-island shipping services have been stopped and fishermen warned not to venture into the sea, and around 150-200 personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed and six relief camps opened in various parts of the islands as a precautionary measure. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), no heatwave conditions have been reported from any parts of the country on Sunday.
Besides, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) swung into action and is taking pre-emptive measures. ICG ships and aircraft on the southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining south of the Andaman Sea are relaying weather warnings to all mariners and fishermen at sea.
Directorate of Shipping Services ordered the cancellation of all inter-island services till March 22. MV Campbell ship from Visakhapatnam and Chennai-bound MV Sindhu were also canceled. According to officials of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, north and middle Andamans experienced rain and strong winds but life in Port Blair remained normal. Schools and colleges have been shut because of the cyclone As per the advisory, unsafe and loose structures were also removed to prevent any hazard owing to randomly flying sharp objects such as tin sheets.
"Depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining south Andaman Sea lay centered at 0830 hrs IST on Sunday, about 110 km north-northwest of Car Nicobar (Nicobar Islands).
To intensify into a DD by 0530 hrs IST of 21st and into a cyclonic storm by 0530 hrs IST of 21st," the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a Twitter post on Sunday. The IMD has listed its predictions and warnings on Twitter.
As per the prediction, the Andaman islands on March 20 are expected to witness light to moderate rainfall or thundershower at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places and isolated extremely heavy rainfall, while isolated heavy rainfall is expected in Nicobar islands.
“It will move along and off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and reach the Bangladesh-north Myanmar coasts on March 22”, the IMD said advising fishermen to not venture into the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea during this period. The system is expected to move towards the Bangladesh-Myanmar coasts.