Q1C · Explain in detail Early Warning System helped in reducing the impacts of Cyclone in C…

Answer

Cyclone Nisarga made landfall near Alibag on 3 June 2020. Early warning connected observations and forecasts to protective action before landfall. Two documented parts of the warning system were:

1. IMD cyclone monitoring and forecast-warning system. Satellite observations and Doppler weather radars at Goa and Mumbai helped IMD track the cyclone. Forecasts and bulletins identified the expected landfall period and hazards from wind, rain and storm surge. This gave agencies a basis for readiness and evacuation decisions.
2. Bulk-SMS warning dissemination to residents. The Government of India’s 2 June 2020 preparedness release states that the Telecom Department’s bulk-SMS facility was being used to warn residents likely to be affected. It also records that evacuation was underway. This channel carried the forecast from agencies to people who needed to act.

How warnings reduced exposure

The same preparedness review directed completion of evacuation from low-lying areas in the cyclone path and return of fishers from the sea. Thus the practical chain was monitor → forecast → communicate → evacuate / protect. A forecast alone cannot prevent damage: clear instructions, transport, safe shelters and public cooperation are needed. Do not invent an exact number of lives saved.

Sources: IMD report on Nisarga, monitoring section; PIB, NCMC preparedness review, 2 June 2020.