KARACHI: Evacuations continued in Sindh overnight as Cyclone Biparjoy crept closer to the province’s coastal belt on Tuesday. An alert issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre on Monday morning said the cyclone had moved further north-northwestward during last 12 hours and had weakened into a “very severe cyclonic storm”.
The alert said that the cyclone now lay at a distance of about 470km south of Karachi, 460km south of Thatta.
“Maximum sustained surface winds are 140-150km/hour, gusts 170km/hour around the system centre and sea conditions being phenomenal around the system center with maximum wave height [of] 30 feet. Favorable environmental conditions … are in support to sustain its 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 Bandar and Indian Gujarat coast on the afternoon/evening of June 15 as a “very severe cyclonic storm” packing winds of 100-120km/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, Tharparker, Mirpurkhas and Umerkot between June 13-17.
Dust/thunderstorm-rain with few heavy falls and accompanied with squally winds of 60-80km/hour likely in Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allayar, 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, 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.
Separately, Deputy Chief Meteorologist Anjum reiterated that the cyclone had travelled north-northwest during the last 12 hours. He said that the affects 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 in Karachi from the north, northeast. He said that the warm winds were blowing from Rajasthan, under which Karachi would continue to experience warm weather.
Climate Minister Sherry Rehman took to Twitter to urge citizens to take the advisories issued by authorities seriously.
“#BiparjoyCyclone is real. Without panicking, people need to take @pdmasindhpk and @PDMABalochistan advisories seriously for the coastal areas,” she said.
“So far, it has reduced intensity only for Balochistan side [I am] told but it is highly unpredictable so please do NOT take it casually. It is varying in intensity but caution is crucial, especially near the Sindh coast.
“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.
Meanwhile, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said 26,855 people had been evacuated across the province, out of which 19,205 evacuations were conducted by the government while the remaining had voluntarily moved to safer locations.
“Desks have been set up by the health department at relief camps in vulnerable areas to prevent the spread of diseases,” he said during a Sindh Assembly session today. He also shared a list detailing the evacuations on Twitter.
He said the Sindh chief minister had directed all commissioners and deputy commissioners to ensure provision of food and other essentials at the relief camps.
The Sindh Provincial Disaster Management Authority, he continued, was “proactive” and all the ministers had been instructed to remain in the field.
The minister further stressed that it was important to take precautionary measures in Karachi but at the same time called on the public to refrain from panicking.
“There are predictions of a cloudburst in Karachi which is concerning,” he said. “However, updates are still coming in and nothing conclusive can be said at the moment.”
Memon advised citizens to stay indoors because “if you leave the house unnecessarily it will create hurdles for the rescue services”.
“All kinds of unnecessary movement have been restricted […] Seaview has also been cordoned off,” he told the provincial assembly, adding that the Sindh government was taking all precautionary measures and needed the citizenry to cooperate.
In a statement released earlier in the day, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that the evacuation of citizens living along the province’s coastal belt continued throughout the night.
He said that Keti Bunder’s 13,000 strong population was in danger, adding that 3,000 people had been evacuated overnight. Similarly, the 5,000-strong population of Ghorabari was in danger, out of which 100 people had been moved to a safe location, he said.
“The 4,000 people in Shaheed Fazil Rahu also face danger and 3,000 of them have been shifted,” he said. He said that Badin had a population of 2,000, out of which 540 had been shifted to a safer location.
He said that 5,000 people living in Shah Bandar were also at risk of being hit by the cyclone, adding that 90 had been evacuated overnight. He added that that out of 10,000 people, only 100 had been evacuated from Jati overnight.
Further, six people out of 1,300 were evacuated from Kharo Chan, he said. Shah said that the administration would continue to evacuate the citizens of Thatta, Badin and Sajawal districts.
He said that citizens did not wish to leave their homes but there was no other option apart from shifting them to safer locations, urging citizens to cooperate with officials.
