KARACHI: Authorities were on high alert on Thursday as Cyclone Biparjoy, currently classified as a “very severe cyclonic storm”, was on track to make landfall between Keti Bandar and India’s Gujarat by the evening.
The latest alert issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that cyclone had moved north-northeastward during the last 24 hours and was now at a distance of about 230km south of Karachi, 235km south Thatta and 155km south-southwest of Keti Bandar.
It said that Biparjoy was likely to keep tracking northeastward and cross between Keti Bandar and the Indian Gujarat coast in the evening. The alert said the cyclone would bring winds between 100-120km/h with gusts up to 140km/h.
The alert said that widespread wind-dust/thunderstorm and heavy rain was likely in Sindh’s Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparkar, Mirpurkhas and Umerkot districts from Jun 15-17.
It further predicted dust/thunderstorm and rain accompanied with squally winds in Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allayar, Shaheed Benazirabad & Sanghar districts today and tomorrow (Friday).
It added that dust/thunderstorm and isolated heavy rainfall was likely in Balochistan’s Hub, Lasbela and Khuzdar districts today and tomorrow.
The weather alert said that a storm surge of 3-4 metres was expected at Keti Bander, where the cyclone will make landfall, and its surroundings.
“Sea conditions along Sindh coast may get very rough/high (2-2.5m) and rough/very rough (2m) along Balochistan coast (Sonmiani, Hub, Kund Malir. Ormara and surroundings),” it said.
Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman also shared what she called a “consolidated report” from all disaster management departments and the weather satellite.
The report, however, said the cyclone would make landfall by midday. It also said that over 100mm of rainfall was predicted in Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Dadu, Shaheed Benazirabad and Sanghar.
Meanwhile, over 300mm of rainfall was predicted in Thatta, Sajawal, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Umerkot and Tharparkar between June 15-17.
The climate change minister also spoke about the incoming cyclone on Geo News programme ‘Geo Pakistan’. She said that Biparjoy was a category three cyclone and 10 days ago nobody knew where it was headed.
She further said that all government institutions had taken the threat seriously, adding that the cyclone had tracked eastwards during the past four days.
“This a category 3 cyclone which means that it is unpredictable. More than 17 stations have collaborated to provide you updates,” she said.
The minister said that Karachi would experience heavy rainfall and strong winds but would not be directly impacted by the cyclone.
She also expressed satisfaction at the evacuation efforts, saying that more than 72,000 people had been evacuated.
Meanwhile, authorities in India’s western state of Gujarat have evacuated more than 75,000 people from vulnerable coastal communities.
In the coastal town of Mandvi, a Reuters witness said while winds were high, the sky was blue and the sun was out on Thursday morning with shops starting to open and people coming out on the streets.
“On Thursday morning, wind speed as high as 90kmph were reported on Gujarat coast,” said a senior India Meteorological Department (IMD) official.
“The speed will rise gradually in the next few hours to 120 kmph, gusting to 135 kmph in the afternoon. We are expecting landfall in the evening when wind speeds would be even higher.”
Auditorium halls in schools and other government buildings were converted into relief camps to provide shelter to displaced people in both India and Pakistan.
Temporary thatched houses in coastal Gujarat could be completely flattened while standing crops, plantations and roads were expected to face major damage, the IMD said in a statement, adding that railways could also face disruption.
Indian authorities suspended fishing until Friday, closed down schools and banned people from using beaches.