By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: A cyclone that intensified into an extremely severe storm on Sunday is likely to hit the coast between Karachi in Pakistan and Gujarat in India on June 15, weather officials said.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said cyclone Biparjoy, “maintaining its intensity” is over the east-central Arabian Sea and is located about 840 kilometers south of Karachi, 830 kilometers south of Thatta, and 930 kilometers southeast of Ormara.
The PMD has warned that Biparjoy is likely to bring widespread wind-dust/thunderstorm rain with some very heavy/extremely heavy falls accompanied with squally winds of 80-100 kilometers per hour in Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparker, and Umerkot districts during June 13-17.
In Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allayar, and Mirpurkhas districts, dust/thunderstorm-rain with few heavy falls and accompanied with squally winds of 60-80 kilometers per hour are likely from June 13/14 to June 16.
The PMD has warned that squally (high intensity) winds may cause damage to loose and vulnerable structures (Kutcha houses). A storm surge of 3-3.5 meters (8-12 feet) is expected at the land falling point (Keti Bandar and around).
Fishermen are advised not to venture into the open sea till the system is over by 17 June, as the Arabian Sea conditions may get very rough/high accompanied by high tides along the coast.
The Karachi Port Trust (KPT) issued emergency guidelines for the security of ships and port facilities and said shipping activities would be suspended if winds exceeded 25 nautical miles per hour. It also banned the double-bunking of ships at the container terminal and instructed authorities to shift harbour crafts to a safer place.
The Karachi administration imposed a ban on fishing, sailing, swimming, and bathing at sea under Section 144 due to the cyclone.
The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority alerted officials to ensure the safety of lightweight aircraft and other electrical equipment by taking precautionary measures such as moving them to a safer place.
“Cyclone is unpredictable yet categorised as high intensity. Panic is counterproductive but caution and planning are better than being caught unawares,” tweeted Sherry Rehman, minister for climate change and environmental coordination, advising all relevant departments of Sindh and Balochistan to be on ‘high alert’.
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