Biparjoy barrels toward Sindh’s coastal belt

F.P. Report
KARACHI: Evacuations continued in Sindh throughout the day as Cyclone Biparjoy barreled toward the province’s coastal belt on Tuesday. An alert issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre at 9:30pm on Tuesday said said the cyclone had moved further north-northwestward during the last six hours and now lay at a distance of about 380km south of Karachi and 390km south of Thatta.
“Maximum sustained surface winds are 150-160km/hour, gusts 170km/hour around the system centre and sea conditions being phenomenal around the system centre with maximum wave height [of] 30 feet. Favourable environmental conditions … are in support to sustain its (cyclone’s) strength through the forecast period,” the centre said. It said that under the existing conditions, the cyclone was “most likely” to track further northward until the morning of June 14 (Wednesday), then recurve northeastward and cross between Keti Bunder and the Indian Gujarat coast on the afternoon/evening of June 15 as a “very severe cyclonic storm” packing winds of 100-120km/hour, gusting 140km/hour.
The alert said that widespread wind-dust/thunderstorm rain with some very heavy/extremely heavy falls accompanied with squally winds of 80-100km/hour gusting 120km/hour were likely in Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparkar, Mirpurkhas and Umerkot between June 13-17. Dust/thunderstorm-rain with few heavy falls and accompanied with squally winds of 60-80km/hour are likely in Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Shaheed Benazirabad and Sanghar districts from June 14-16.
Storm surge of 3-3.5 metres high are expected at point of landfall, Keti Bunder, and its surrounding areas, which would inundate low-lying settlements, the alert said. The centre also advised fishermen to not venture out into the open sea till the system abated by June 17. It said sea conditions along Sindh’s coast may get “very rough to high”, with storm surge of 2-2.5 metres. Similarly, rough to very rough sea conditions were expected along Balochistan’s coast — with storm surge of two metres — that covers Sonmiani, Hub, Kund Malir, Ormara and surroundings areas. According to the alert, dust/thunderstorm-rain with isolated heavy falls are also expected in the Hub and Lasbela districts of Balochistan from June 14-16 June.
Meanwhile, squally winds may cause damage to loose and vulnerable structures, including kutcha houses and solar panels. Earlier, Deputy Chief Meteorologist Anjum said that the effects of the cyclone on Sindh’s coastal belt and Karachi would be visible today, to some extent, and tomorrow. He said that winds, between 15-20km/h, were blowing during the day in Karachi from the north, northeast. He added that the warm winds were blowing from Rajasthan, under which Karachi would continue to experience warm weather.
Later in the evening, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said dust storms had begun on the Hyderabad-Karachi highway and urged the public to stay safe. She added that the cyclone was veering northeast and was still on course to “hit Keti Bandar and Sir Creek area”. Meanwhile, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik said the intensity of Biparjoy had gotten severe. “According to scientific reports, the cyclone’s direction will turn to Keti Bandar and Indian Gujarat,” he stated, adding that an emergency had hence been imposed in all the vulnerable areas.
“On June 15, it will make landfall on Keti Bandar and adjoining areas. Because of its width, far-off areas along the coastline can be affected,” Gen Malik told reporters. In Karachi, he continued, there were chances of thunderstorms. “For this, we have alerted all the authorities and preparations have been made to combat any untoward situation.” The NDMA chief added that 100,000 people will be evacuated from vulnerable areas and assured that the process would be completed by the morning of June 15.
“Karachi will likely face urban flooding given the scale and intensity of winds. Precautionary evacuations in Seaview areas have begun. We will keep you updated,” she said.
In another tweet, she said that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was coordinating with different stakeholders. She again advised the public to take advisories seriously, adding that evacuations were mandatory for “two union councils each from Badin and Thatta, including Keti Bunder”. She also shared a list of helplines citizens could reach out to.
Separately, Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) recommended voluntary evacuation for citizens residing in Darakhshan, Seaview and Emaar. DHA Spokesperson Farrukh Rizvi said arrangements had been made to relocate the area’s residents — particularly from Seaview and Darakhshan — to army guest houses in Karachi and clubs within the locality. “If the number increases, we will move the people to Malir Cantonment,” he said, adding that relief camps had also been set up at schools, colleges and universities in DHA. A list of these camps was being prepared and would soon be shared with the people through the authority’s social media pages, the spokesperson added.
He further stated that currently the focus was on voluntary evacuations and citizens could reach out to the authority at its helpline 1092. On the situation of roads in the locality, Rizvi said all routes where construction was under way, such as Khayaban-i-Ittehad, Saba Avenue and Khayaban-i-Shahbaz, had been blocked from both ends. “Diversion markings have been placed on the routes.” Separately, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan quoted Dastagir as saying that some power plants “may go offline during the cyclone”.
“It is dangerous to operate power plants during high-velocity winds,” he said during a ceremony in Islamabad. Dastagir noted that high winds were expected in the south-eastern parts of Pakistan due to Biparjoy, adding that the storm was also preventing liquefied natural gas (LNG) ships from docking at the port. Power utility K-Electric also urged citizens to remain indoors. “Beware of rain and stormy conditions. High winds caused by Cyclone Biparjoy can cause downed power lines,” it said on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Information, Transport, and Mass Transit, Sharjeel Inam Memon, has emphasized the importance of exercising caution as the primary preventive measure against the Biparjoy cyclone.
He said that upon receiving information about the cyclone, the Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah promptly visited the areas expected to be affected. During his speech in the Sindh Assembly, Sharjeel Inam Memon advised the residents of Karachi to refrain from leaving their homes unnecessarily. He assured that efforts are underway to relocate people to safer areas, particularly those residing in coastal regions.
Sharjeel Inam Memon stressed the need for vigilance in Karachi, as there is a possibility of a cloud burst. He advised against visiting the beach for recreational purposes and urged the public to cooperate with the government. He mentioned that Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has instructed all relevant institutions to remain alert in response to the cyclone. Sharjeel Inam Memon highlighted the responsibility of all Assembly members to address the people’s concerns and work towards resolving any arising issues.