New Delhi/Port Blair,  Even as heavy rainfall lashed Nicobar Islands during the last 24 hours, the Centre on Saturday deployed six teams of the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) in view of the impending Cyclone Asani near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on March 21.

Isolated extremely heavy rainfall is very likely over Andaman Islands and isolated heavy rainfall over Nicobar Islands on Sunday.

Apart from deployment of NDRF teams, the local administration initiated sensitisation programmes for vulnerable fishermen colonies against the danger due to the Cyclone Asani and evacuated them to safer places, as per the Deputy Commissioner, North & Middle Andaman.

Unsafe and loose structures were also removed to prevent any hazard owing to randomly flying sharp objects such as tin sheets.

The Low Pressure Area (LPA) over southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining south Andaman Sea & east Equatorial Indian Ocean moved east-north-eastwards and lay as a Well-Marked Low Pressure Area (WL LPA) over southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining south Andaman Sea on Saturday.

"It is likely to move nearly northwards along & off Andaman & Nicobar Islands, intensify into a depression by morning of March 20 and turn into a cyclonic storm on March 21. Thereafter, it is likely to move nearly north-north-eastwards and reach near north Myanmar - southeast Bangladesh coasts on March 22," the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The IMD bulletin said while many places witnessed light to moderate rainfall, isolated heavy rainfall occurred over Nicobar Islands during the last 24 hours; light to moderate rainfall also occurred at a few places over Andaman Islands during the same period.

The rainfall from 8.30 a.m. on Friday till 8.30 a.m. on Saturday included Car Nicobar IAF: 86.2 mm; Car Nicobar IMD: 70.2 mm, Nancowary: 39 mm, Long Island: 13 mm and Hut Bay: 17 mm, the IMD bulletin said, and warned of squally winds on Sunday gusting to gale winds

Between 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. on Saturday, Car Nicobar, Hut Bay and Port Blair witnessed 3 cm rainfall each.

On Sunday, light to moderate rainfall/thundershower at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall likely at a few places and isolated extremely heavy rainfall are very likely over Andaman Islands and isolated heavy rainfall over Nicobar Islands while on Monday, light to moderate rainfall/thundershower at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall likely at a few places and isolated extremely heavy rainfall is very likely over Andaman Islands. Light to moderate rainfall at a few places is likely over Nicobar Islands, the IMD said.

Sea condition was rough to very rough over Andaman Sea and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal on Saturday and it would become very rough over the same region on Sunday while it would be very rough to high over Andaman Sea, southeast and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal on March 21.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into southeast Bay of Bengal till March 21; into Andaman Sea and along and off Andaman and Nicobar Islands till March 22; into the east-central Bay of Bengal during March 21 and 22, and into the north-east Bay of Bengal on March 22, the IMD bulletin said.