CYCLONE AMPHAN (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Disaster Management)

Context: It has been four years since Cyclone Amphan wreaked havoc along the coastlines of Bangladesh and India, causing widespread destruction.

Cyclone Amphan

• About: It was an extremely powerful and destructive tropical cyclone.
• Frequency of Supercyclones: It is the fourth supercyclone to hit West Bengal and Kolkata since 2015.
• Landfall Location: It made landfall somewhere between the Hathiya Islands in Bangladesh and Digha in West Bengal.
• Causes: Warm sea surface temperatures, Favorable atmospheric conditions and Low-level convergence.
• Origin of the Name: The cyclone’s name, Amphan, which is pronounced “UM-PUN,” was given by Thailand.
• Comparison: Amphan is thought to be the strongest tropical storm to have hit the coast, surpassing the Phailin typhoon that struck the Bengal-Odisha coast in 2013.
• Landfall Impact

oAmphan traveled toward West Bengal and Bangladesh when it made landfall as a powerful storm at Sagar Island in West Bengal and the Island of Hatiya in Bangladesh.

oIt was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike the Ganges Delta since the 1999 Odisha cyclone.