KARACHI, June 13 (PTI): Authorities in Pakistan’s Sindh province have enlisted the help of the Army and Navy as they stepped up the evacuation of more than 80,000 residents living near the coastline as Cyclone Biparjoy moved closer to the country’s commercial hub, Karachi.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) latest advisory, Biparjoy — which has been downgraded from extremely severe cyclonic storm to very severe cyclonic storm — moved further north-northwestward during the last 12 hours.
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It now lies near latitude 20.7°N and longitude 67.1°E at a distance of about 470km south of Karachi and 460km south of Thatta.
The PMD stated that maximum sustained surface winds are 140-150 km/hour gusts 170 km/hour around the system centre, and sea conditions are phenomenal around the system centre with a maximum wave height of 30 feet.
Under the existing upper-level steering winds, the cyclone is most likely to track further northward until the morning of June 14, then recurve northeastward and cross between Keti Bandar (Southeast Sindh) and India’s Gujarat coast on June 15 afternoon/evening as a very severe cyclonic storm with packing winds of 100-120Km/hour.
Large-scale evacuations have been ordered by the southern Sindh government.
Sindh’s Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah told the media that an emergency had been declared and the Army and Navy drafted in to help relocate “more than 80,000 people” at risk.
“We will not request people but demand them to evacuate,” he told reporters, adding that the order was being issued through social media, mosques and radio stations.
The Chief Minister said that large-scale evaluations are already being carried out in Thatta, Keti Bundar, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparkar and UmerKot districts areas likely to face the brunt of the Cyclone Biparjoy, which means disaster or calamity in the Bengali language.
“The help of the Army and Navy has been enlisted to move people to safer places in government schools and offices and other temporary shelters until this crisis is over,” Murad said.
Residents living near and around the Seaview beach in Pakistan’s biggest city, Karachi have also been told to voluntarily evacuate their homes in view of the threat posed by the cyclone which is expected to make a landfall near the Keti Bandar coastal area in the province.
The Defence Housing Authority (DHA) issued a notice on Monday to residents of the homes and apartments near and adjoining areas of Seaview Beach and Darakshan to voluntarily evacuate their homes and move inland in Karachi to safer places till the situation gets better.
The DHA said the precautionary measure is necessary due to the threat of flooding, heavy rains and severe winds caused by the cyclone.
The PMD said that the cyclone might cause havoc in the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan.
Residents in many parts of Karachi posted on social media that they could already see the effects of Cyclone Biparjoy over the city with gusty winds.
Television channels showed visuals of families moving on roads through various means with their belongings in Badin and Sujawal after evacuating their villages.
“We are expecting the high-intensity winds, heavy rainfalls and thunderstorms and high tides to damage vulnerable structures so we have started taking precautions and are evacuating the people at least 10 kilometres away from coastal areas,” Jahanzaib Khan a director of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.
