By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s coastal areas are bracing for the impact of a cyclone, Biparjoy, forming in the Arabian Sea, the country’s climate change minister and meteorological department said on Friday.
The cyclone, which is currently moving in a north-northeast direction, could drift north westwards towards Pakistan’s Makran Coast, Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman said in a Twitter post.
“The environmental conditions supporting the system may intensify further,” she said. “Conditions at sea may get very rough accompanied with high tides along the coast.”
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said in an advisory that Biparjoy had changed its course and was slowly tracking in the north-northeast direction.
It was located near latitude 14.8 degrees north and longitude 66.5 degrees east, about 1,120 km south of Karachi.
The PMD said maximum sustained surface winds were 130-150 km per hour, with gusts of up to 160 km per hour. The favorable environmental conditions, including the sea surface temperature of 30-32 degrees Celsius, low vertical wind shear and upper-level divergence, were still supporting the system to intensify further.
“Owing to the shift in upper-level steering winds, there is an uncertainty in the global model’s opinion regarding the track forecast of Biparjoy, with some taking it to Oman-Pakistan western coast and others indicating towards Indian Gujrat-Pakistan Sindh coast,” the PMD said.
“Considering this uncertainty, the system is likely to keep tracking further north/northeastward during the next two days.”
The PMD advised fishermen not to venture into the open sea from Monday, June 12 until the system was over, as the sea conditions might get rough accompanied by high tides along the coast.
“With its probable northeast track, the rain-thunderstorm with some heavy falls and squally winds are expected on the Sindh-Makran coast from June 13 night to June 14 morning,” the PMD said.
Meanwhile, Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman has alerted authorities.
“All relevant authorities, particularly PDMA Sindh and Balochistan, are advised to take stock of preparations and ensure public safety for communities in coastal areas,” she tweeted.
Separately, in a press release issued on Friday, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said the developing situation was continuously being monitored by the National Emergencies Operation Centre.
“The Chairman NDMA instructed PDMAs to conduct a local-level needs assessment, deploy manpower and machinery, and work closely with relevant departments,” it said.
In the statement, the NDMA also urged the public to stay informed and follow local authorities’ guidance in any emergency situation caused by the cyclone.
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