Context: Cyclone Dana is expected to hit the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal between Puri and Sagar Islands on October 24, bringing heavy rain to both states for three days.

• The name Dana means “generosity” in Arabic and was chosen by Qatar, according to the standard convention of naming tropical cyclones in the region. 

About Cyclones

• Cyclones are centres of low pressure surrounded by closed isobars and having increasing pressure outwards.

• As air enters an area of low pressure from all directions, the Coriolis Effect bends the direction of the wind to the right of its path.

• This creates a counter clockwise rotation around the low and convergence near the centre of the system. As the air collides near the centre it is forced aloft where divergence takes air away from the centre of the system.

• A Cyclone is a system of low level convergence and high level divergence with a rising column of air in the centre of the rotating air mass. If the upper air is not diverging then there cannot be a cyclone present.

Types of Cyclones

• Cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons are all the same weather phenomenon. The difference lies in their location.

• Hurricanes occur in the North Atlantic and Northeast Pacific.

• Typhoons form in the Northwest Pacific Ocean.

• Cyclones are found in the South Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Impact of Cyclones

• Cyclones can lead to severe weather conditions. They can cause heavy rainfall, strong winds, and flooding. Coastal areas are particularly vulnerable to storm surges, which can result in damage.

• Meteorological agencies closely monitor developing cyclones. Early warnings are crucial for safety. Residents in affected areas are advised to stay informed and prepare for potential impacts.

Cyclone Naming Process:

• Since 2004, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has managed cyclone naming in the North Indian Ocean. Member countries include Bangladesh, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UAE, and Yemen. Each country suggests four names. When a cyclone forms, it is named sequentially from the list. Once a name is used, it is retired and not repeated.

• In the 1990s, a disaster management cell was established under the Ministry of Agriculture, following the ‘International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction’. Following disasters like the Orissa Super Cyclone (1999) and the Bhuj Earthquake (2001), a committee developed a holistic disaster management approach, establishing a hierarchical structure, and the disaster management division was shifted under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in 2002.

• The NDMA has been established at the national level, while the SDMA at the state and district authorities at the district levels is gradually being institutionalised.

• National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA): Disaster Management Act of 2005, mandated the establishment of the NDMA, under the MHA.

• It is the highest governing body responsible for creating, enforcing, and implementing policies, plans, and guidelines for disaster management.

• The Chairperson of the NDMA is the Prime Minister.

Why name cyclones at all?

• Adopting names for cyclones makes it easier for people to remember, as opposed to numbers and technical terms. Apart from the general public, it also helps the scientific community, the media, disaster managers etc. With a name, it is easy to identify individual cyclones, create awareness of its development, rapidly disseminate warnings to increase community preparedness and remove confusion where there are multiple cyclonic systems over a region.

What are the naming conventions for cyclones?

• While sending their proposals to name the cyclones, countries had to follow some basic guidelines. Among these, they had to ensure the proposed name

• is neutral to (a) politics and political figures (b) religious believes, (c) cultures and (d) gender;

• does not hurt the sentiments of any group of population over the globe;

• is not very rude and cruel in nature;

• is short, easy to pronounce, and not offensive to any PTC member;

• is at most eight letters long;

• is provided with its pronunciation and voice over; and

• is not repeated (not before, not after).

• The list of proposed names arranges the countries in alphabetical order, and lists all the names suggested by them alongside. Then these names are allotted to any cyclone, which takes place in the region, on a rotational basis regardless of which country proposed it.

• For instance, the first cyclone after the list was named Nisarga (Bangladesh’s name choice), which hit Maharashtra, followed by Gati (India’s choice, hit Somalia), Nivar (Iran’s choice, hit Tamil Nadu), and so on.