India launches ‘Operation Karuna’ to aid cyclone-hit Myanmar
Recently, India has launched ‘Operation Karuna’ to help Myanmar devastated by Cyclone Mocha.
Three Indian Navy ships carrying relief material reached Yangon on 18 May. Indian Ambassador to Myanmar Vinay Kumar handed over the first batch of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) material to the Chief Minister of Yangon Region.
Over 40 tonnes of HADR material was moved by INS Shivalik, INS Kamorta and INS Savitri, which included emergency food items, tents, portable generators, clothes, water pumps, medicines, tarpaulin, hygiene and sanitary items, wheel chairs, face masks etc.
A fourth ship INS Gharial was also dispatched with more HADR material including emergency medicines and medical kits.
Cyclone Mocha
- Cyclone Mocha, which recently affected Myanmar, has been classified as an extremely severe cyclonic storm by the Indian Meteorological Department and a ‘super cyclone’ by worldwide weather website Zoom Earth.
- According to the Typhoon Research Center at Jeju National University in South Korea, in the year 2023 it is going to become the most powerful cyclone ever on the earth.
- So far this year, 16 cyclones have occurred in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
Mocha/Mokha Nomenclature:
- Yemen suggested the name ‘Mocha’, which should be pronounced Mokha.
- The cyclone is named after a port city on the Red Sea, known for its coffee production. The popular drink of this city is famous as Cafe Mocha.
- Origin: It originated in the Bay of Bengal.
- Super Cyclone Mocha caused widespread devastation in Bangladesh and Myanmar, killing hundreds of people.
- Rakhine state in Myanmar was worst affected, while in Bangladesh the cyclone destroyed shelters in the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, home to one million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
Source – The Hindu
