High Alert Issued as Cyclonic Storm Expected in Bay of Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands Region

As cyclone Asani is brewing over the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Union Territory administration on Saturday issued an advisory for fishermen urging them "not to venture into the sea" from 19-22 March.

In the latest update issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), "a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal will intensify on 20 March and turn into a cyclonic storm on 21 March".

The tropical cyclone is expected to move along and off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and reach the coasts of Bangladesh and northern Myanmar on 22 March.

The cyclone is expected to cause flooding and extremely heavy rainfall in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands over the next 72 hours. The islands' administration has issued a high alert for the region.

IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra informed the media that cyclone Asani would be the first tropical cyclone in 132 years to hit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in March.

Between 1891 and 2022, only eight cyclones - two in the Arabian Sea and six in the Bay of Bengal - have developed in March, Mohapatra added.

Federal Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla has directed federal ministries and agencies to keep a regular watch and maintain contact with the Andaman and Nicobar administration to handle any situation.