Cyclone Biparjoy to hit Keti Bander, not Karachi, says Pakistan’s Climate Minister Sherry Rehman

Tariq Butt, Correspondent / AFP

Minister of Climate Change Sherry Rehman has said that while the very severe cyclonic system (VSCS) Biparjoy will not directly hit Karachi, it will certainly strike Keti Bandar in the Thatta district.

Sherry Rehman said that 62,000 people had been evacuated from the country's southeastern coastline, with 75 relief camps set up at schools and colleges.

She said fishermen had been warned to stay off the water and small aircraft were grounded, while urban flooding was possible in the megacity of Karachi, home to around 20 million people.

"We are following a policy of caution rather than wait and see," she told reporters in Islamabad. "Our first priority is saving lives."

Meanwhile, strong winds, showers and high tides herald the coming of Cyclone Biparjoy, which is expected to make landfall between Keti Bandar in Sindh and Kutch in Indian Gujarat sometime on Thursday.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), storm surges of up to 3.5 metres high are expected at the landfall point, which can inundate low-lying settlements along the coastline. As a result, sea conditions along the coasts of Sindh and Balochistan would be extremely rough.

Three people have died in the Kutch and Rajkot districts of India, while four boys drowned in Mumbai as thousands of people were evacuated from the coastal regions of both India and Pakistan.

Categorised as a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ over the northeast Arabian Sea, Biparjoy made its presence felt.

Soldiers help to evacuate people from a village due to Cyclone Biparjoy approaching at a coastal area of Thatta district. AP

A PMD alert said the cyclonic storm had moved further north/northwestward and lay just 380km south of Karachi. The maximum speed of sustained surface winds is calculated to be between 140 and 150kmph, rising to 170kmph around the centre of the system.

"Under the existing upper-level steering winds, Biparjoy is most likely to track further northward, then re-curve northeastward and cross between Keti Bandar (southeast Sindh) and Indian Gujarat coast on June 15 afternoon/evening as a very severe cyclonic storm with packing winds of 100-120kmph gusting 140kmph,” the alert said.

Local residents travel on a vehicle as they flee from a coastal village due to Cyclone Biparjoy approaching, in Golarchi near Badin. AP

On its current trajectory, the cyclonic storm is likely to cause widespread wind and dust storms, as well as thundershowers in Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparker, Mirpurkhas and Umerkot districts until Friday. These may be accompanied by squally winds of up to 120kmph.

Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allayar, Shaheed Benazirabad and Sanghar are likely to be hit by similar weather, along with squally winds of 60-80kmph.

A policeman instructs people to vacate a beach before the due onset of cyclone in Karachi. AFP

Earlier categorised as an extremely severe cyclone storm — weakened into a very severe cyclonic storm over Tuesday night and moved from east-central location to northeast Arabian Sea.

Explaining this change, Chief Meteorologist Dr Sardar Sarfaraz said this change only represents reduced speed of the winds surrounding the system but the cyclone is still severe and can cause a lot of damage especially in areas that would be directly hit, and added that the cyclone was less severe as compared to the 1999 cyclone.

About the quantum of rainfall being forecast, he said: "It could be 50-60mm within 24 hours.”

Official information showed that out of the total vulnerable population of 71,380 residing in seven talukas of three districts (as estimated by the government), a total of 56,985 people had been evacuated by Tuesday evening.

Of these, over 22,000 people were evacuated voluntarily. The evacuation took place in Keti Bundar and Ghora Bari, part of Thatta district; Shah Bundar, Jati and Kharochann, part of Sujawal district; Shaheed Fazil Rahu tehsil (district Badin) and Badin.