Authorities are on high alert on Thursday because Cyclone Biparjoy, which was upgraded to a “very severe cyclonic storm” on Wednesday, is expected to reach landfall between Keti Bandar and Gujarat, India, today.
According to the most recent warning from the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the cyclone had travelled six hours north-northeastward and was now roughly 230 kilometers south of Karachi, 235 kilometers south of Thatta, and 155 kilometers south-southwest of Keti Bandar.
According to the report, Biparjoy was forecast to continue moving northeast and make a nighttime crossing between Keti Bandar and the Indian Gujarat shore. The warning stated that winds from the storm will range from 100 to 120 km/h, with gusts as high as 140 km/h.
Additionally, it stated that today and tomorrow (Friday) will bring dust/thunderstorms, rain, and squally winds to the districts of Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allayar, Shaheed Benazirabad, and Sanghar.
Hub, Lasbela, and Khuzdar districts of Balochistan are predicted to have dust/thunderstorms with scattered heavy rains today and tomorrow.
A storm surge of three to four meters was predicted for Keti Bander, where the cyclone would make landfall, and the area around it, according to the weather advisory.
Sea conditions might become severe/very rough (2m) around the Balochistan coast (Sonmiani, Hub, Kund Malir, Ormara and environs) and very rough/high (2-2.5m) near the Sindh coast.
In addition, Sherry Rehman, minister of climate change, presented what she referred to as a “consolidated report” from all disaster management agencies and the weather satellite.
However, the report stated that the storm would reach landfall by noon. Additionally, it stated that more than 100 millimetres of rain were expected in Sanghar, Dadu, Shaheed Benazirabad, Hyderabad, Tando Mohammad Khan, and Tando Allahyar.
Between June 15 and 17, it was expected to rain more than 300mm in Thatta, Sajawal, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Umerkot, and Tharparkar.
In addition, the climate change minister said that Biparjoy, a category three cyclone, was unknown ten days before to its arrival. She said that the threat had been taken seriously by all government agencies and that the storm had moved east during the previous four days.
“This cyclone is a category 3, which indicates it is unpredictable. To give you updates, more than 17 stations have worked together, she added. Despite experiencing significant wind and rain, the minister predicted that the storm will not directly affect Karachi.
Over 72,000 people have been evacuated, she added, adding that she was pleased with the evacuation operations.
Minister noted that several planes had been cancelled and added that authorities were keeping an eye on Karachi airport. She added, though, that Karachi Airport had not been shut down and said that flights would only be cancelled after the wind reached 30 knots per hour.
More than 75,000 residents of Gujarat, a state in western India, have been evacuated from hazardous coastal towns by officials.
A Reuters witness said that on Thursday morning in the seaside town of Mandvi, despite strong gusts, the sky was clear, the sun was shining, and businesses were beginning to open.
To offer refuge for displaced individuals in both India and Pakistan, auditorium halls at schools and other governmental structures were transformed into relief camps.
Standing crops, plantations, roads, and temporary thatched homes in coastal Gujarat may all be entirely destroyed, according to a statement from the IMD. The statement also mentioned that train service may be affected.
