Pakistan orders mass evacuations ahead of Cyclone Biparjoy landfall
People enjoy high tide waves on the Arabian Sea in Karachi, Pakistan, on Sunday. AFP
Pakistan authorities on Monday began an evacuation effort to move 80,000 citizens out of the path of an approaching cyclone, which is expected to bring winds of up to 120 kilometres per hour.
The cyclone is making its way across the Arabian Sea towards the coastlines of Pakistan and India, forecast to make landfall later this week.
Meanwhile, the Karachi’s Seaview Road has been blocked for traffic to prevent people from heading out into the open sea as the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said Biparjoy, now classified as an "extremely severe cyclonic storm,” was around 600km away from the coastal city.
"Abdul Sattar Edhi Avenue has been closed at Sehr junction while traffic from Dolmen Mall, Clifton is being diverted to Khayaban-e-Ittehad via Saba Avenue,” South Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Syed Asad Raza said. "However, traffic from Clock Tower towards Dolmen Mall has been allowed.”
All the authorities concerned have been put on high alert as Biparjoy continues to gain strength after turning into an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm (ESCS), likely to affect Sindh’s coastal areas on June 15.
Swathes of coastal communities in southern Sindh province are set to suffer storm surges up to 3.5 metres (12 feet), which could inundate low-lying settlements, as well as up to 30 centimetres of rain.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said an emergency has been declared and the army drafted in to help relocate "more than 80,000 people" at risk.
"We will not request people but demand them to evacuate," Shah told reporters, adding that the order was being issued through social media, mosques and radio stations.
A spokesman for Shah said around 2,000 people have already been evacuated to "safe places" from the area of Shah Bandar, a fishing town nestled among mangrove deltas 45 kilometres west of India's Gujarat state.
However, in the nearby village of Gul Muhammad Uplano, authorities struggled to persuade families to leave.
"We will become helpless in the government camps, that is why we are better off at our own place," said 46-year-old Gul Hasan.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department has warned that traditional mud and straw homes which house the poorest in Pakistan will be vulnerable to disintegration in high winds. But in the settlement of Haji Ibrahim, a cluster of such structures, fisherman Abu Bakar said concerns over losing their livelihoods prevail.
"Our boat, goats and camels are our assets," the 20-year-old said. "We cannot compromise on their safety." "But if the danger becomes imminent, we will be forced to leave to save our lives," he conceded.
'Adverse effects of climate change'
Provincial lawmaker Muhammad Ali Malkani told AFP a decision had been made to evacuate the population living up to eight kilometres inland.
Karachi — a port city home to around 20 million — is also due to be deluged by dust and thunder storms with winds whipping up to 80 kilometres per hour.
Billboards will be removed and 70 vulnerable buildings evacuated in the city, while construction will be stopped over the entire affected area.
India's Meteorological Department said Monday the storm will hit western Gujarat state around noon on Thursday, with winds gusting up to 150 kilometres per hour causing "total destruction of thatched houses."
Heavy rains and strong winds late Saturday killed 29 people in northwest Pakistan, including eight children, officials said.
"Undoubtedly, these are the adverse effects of climate change," Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Twitter on Sunday.
Moreover, directives for the evacuation from "dangerous buildings" have also been issued. The Sindh Building Control Authority and the deputy commissioners will take "necessary action with regard to the dangerous buildings, buildings with weak glass panels, scaffolding around under construction buildings."
The cranes and other construction machinery installed anywhere in the areas under threat will also be removed. The evacuees will be provided with all facilities during their stay in the relief camps.
Other key decisions taken in the meeting were the implementation of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, removal of hoardings and signboards, solar panels, installation of dewatering pumps in the low lying areas and choking points, prevention of electrocution and falling of electricity poles and devising of a contingency plan.
During the meeting, the commissioner alerted all city departments to deal with the threat of Cyclone Biporjoy. He ordered all the relevant bodies to complete their preparations to deal with the aftermath of the cyclone.
Directives to declare high alert in all major city hospitals and establishment of control rooms had also been given. Moreover, the Mirpurkhas commissioner's office has set up a control room to monitor the cyclonic situation.
Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Jahanzeb Khan has said that a plan has been made to tackle the rising threat of the cyclone in the coastal area of Balochistan, and more steps are being taken.
Met Office spokesperson Sardar Sarfaraz said the wave heights can reach up to 8-12ft when the cyclone hits the coast.
Talking about Karachi’s weather, he said the weather is warm right now, due to which, the "sea breeze has been kind of trapped”. He warned the citizens that in the coming two days, winds will blow from south or southeast, which can cause temperatures to rise to 40 degrees Celsius or above it.
"There is also the possibility that from June 14-16, a windstorm blows here as well (in Karachi) and there is rainfall - medium showers at some times and heavy at some.”
He added that heavy rainfall was expected in other districts of Sindh as well in the coming days, including Hyderabad, Nawabshah and Sanghar.
Noting that the cyclone can set up the pattern for the pre-monsoon rains, Sarfaraz said, "It seems that as soon as it (the system) will exit Sindh, a spell of rain will begin in Punjab.”
