F.P. Report
KARACHI: Climate Change Minister Senator Sherry Rehman Thursday said cyclone Biparjoy — a very severe cyclonic storm — had slowed down and won’t make landfall before nightfall now.
Authorities remains on high alert as the cyclone is likely to hit Sindh’s shores today with the local authorities bracing for “possible damage”.
“Cyclone Biparjoy has slowed down but core remains intense,” she said on Twitter. “It will not make landfall before nightfall now. More information will be shared soon from the National Disaster Management Authority.”
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, Cyclone is 230km south of Karachi, 235km south Thatta and 155km south-southwest of Keti Bandar.
The country’s coastal regions remained on high alert on Wednesday, with tens of thousands of people being evacuated to prevent the impact of the cyclone. Biparjoy is inching closer to India and Pakistan, prompting authorities to take preventive measures to minimise the damage it may cause to life and property.
The Met department’s advisory released on Wednesday night showed that Biparjoy had moved north-eastwards during the past six hours.
Taking to Twitter, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) says the cyclone is being monitored continuously and an important meeting was held at 1am on Thursday.
The cyclone will pass through Pakistan’s Keti Bandar and India’s Gujrat in afternoon.
On late Wednesday, the cyclone was about 310 kiometers south of Karachi, 300km south-southwest of Thatta and 240km south-southwest of Keti Bandar.
The cyclone is likely to reduce its strength after hitting the land, but the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has asked fishermen not to venture into the open sea until Saturday.
Still unstable and unpredictable, says NDMA chief
Minister Sherry Rehman who was flanked by NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider told a presser on Thursday that Cyclone Biparjoy had moved further from Karachi but at the same time noted that the storm was still unpredictable and unstable.
She said the cyclone’s landfall period is variable and has moved further between June 15 and 16, adding the speed and direction of the cyclone were changing every hour, adding that over 17 stations were currently monitoring it and Biparjoy was the most monitored storm in the world right now.
On Wednesday, Sindh’s Sajawal district turned more vulnerable to powerful cyclone Biparjoy after high tides triggered by gusty winds and heavy showers hit shores at Shah Bandar on Wednesday noon.
The local administration vacated several villages from Shah Bandar area after intensity of sea waves grew. Strong winds knocked electricity poles down and transportation in the area was suspended.
Thatta, Sajawal, Badin, Kotri, Matiari, Tando Allah Yar and Tando Muhammad Khan are receiving continous downpour. Huge tides are being reported along the affected coastline. There are reports that some villages in Kharo Chan have been inundated with sea water.
Catching some intensity the tropical cyclone — Biparjoy — is hardly 300 kilometres away from Karachi and 288km from Port Keti Bandar, the National Disaster Management Authority said in its latest update on Wednesday.
Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfraz said the cyclone had moved north-northwestward during the last six hours.
Earlier situation
The tropical cyclone is expected to maintain a northward trajectory until Wednesday morning and then it is likely to recurve eastward and will make a landfall between Keti Bandar (Southeast Sindh Coastline) and the Indian Gujarat Coastline in the afternoon of Thursday (June 15), as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS).
According to the latest NDMA forecast, tropical cyclone has weakened into a “Very Severe Cyclonic Storm” (VSCS) — Category 3, with sustained windspeeds of approximately 140-150 km/h and gusts up to 170 km/h.
On Wednesday morning, Biparjoy was located in the Arabian Sea near Latitude 21.2° N and Longitude 66.6° E, roughly 380km south of Karachi and 390km south of Thatta.
The areas likely to be affected by Cyclone Biparjoy include Thatta, Badin, Sajawal, Tharparkar, Karachi, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Hyderabad, Ormara, Tando Allah Yar and Tando Mohammad Khan.
NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik said more than 100,000 people would be evacuated till June 14 (Wednesday). Addressing a presser flanked by Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman, he said the cyclone could hit Keti Bander on Thursday. “The evacuation process at coastal belt of Thatta, Keti and Jaati Bander and Umerkot is under way,” he added.
He informed that the Keti Bunder coastline and adjoining areas had been alerted whereas the security and law-enforcement agencies, provincial departments and volunteers were engaged in shifting the population to safer places. “The evacuated population will remain in the relief shelters till the situation normalises as strong windstorms and rains will take place,” he added.
All volunteers and non-government organisations (NGOs) who had been working during post-2022 floods would also be engaged in the process, he said. “The government of Sindh and other departments are engaged with the NDMA for relief activities,” he said.
The NDMA chairman said Pakistan Army, Rangers, PDMA and NGOs are ready to meet any untoward situation.
Meanwhile, Ms Rehman underlined that the leaves of all government officials and staff had been cancelled and hospitals were on high alert. She asked the people living near coastal belt of Sindh and Balochistan to follow precautionary measures mentioned in advisories issued by the NDMA to meet any untoward situation due to Cyclone Biparjoy.
She informed that eight relief camps in public schools and technical institutions’ buildings were established in Badin, three in Keti Bunder, and seven in the public schools. “As many as 12 feet high tides with a speed of 200 kilometres per hour can hit the coastal belt of the country,” she added.
The minister said fisherman had been warned to avoid going to the sea. ‘The old and mud houses can be damaged due to cyclone,” she added.
Ms Rehman went on to say that the intensity of the cyclone was increasing and moving speedily to the coastal belt of Sindh. She warned that low-lying areas of Karachi could be inundated due to rains and speedy winds of cyclone. She advised people to voluntarily move at safer places and cooperate with the evacuation teams and the staff whose leaves had been cancelled.
Evacuation
Accoridng to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), more than 81,000 people have been evacuated and sifted to the safer places.
The evacuation took place in Keti Bundar and Ghora Bari, part of Thatta district; Shah Bundar, Jati and Kharochann, parts of Sajawal district; Shaheed Fazil Rahu tehsil (district Badin) and Badin.
