—– Evacuations continue as authorities intensify efforts to save lives
—– Latest alert says Cyclone to make landfall between Keti Bunder, Indian Gujarat coast on June 15
—– Climate Change Minister says 113mm of rain expected in Karachi, urges public to take advisories issued by authorities seriously ‘without panicking’
—– NDMA Chief says 100,000 people in vulnerable areas to be evacuated by June 15
—– DHA recommends ‘voluntary evacuation’ for residents of Seaview, Emaar and Darakhshan
—– PM directs utilising all-out resources for people’s protection
—– FM appeals to people for cooperation, precautions
From Zeeshan Mirza
KARACHI: Evacuations continued in Sindh throughout the day as Cyclone Biparjoy barreled toward the province’s coastal belt on Tuesday.
An alert issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre at 9:30pm on Tuesday said said the cyclone had moved further north-northwestward during the last six hours and now lay at a distance of about 380km south of Karachi and 390km south of Thatta.
“Maximum sustained surface winds are 150-160km/hour, gusts 170km/hour around the system centre and sea conditions being phenomenal around the system centre with maximum wave height [of] 30 feet.
Favourable environmental conditions … are in support to sustain its (cyclone’s) strength through the forecast period,” the centre said. It said that under the existing conditions, the cyclone was “most likely” to track further northward until the morning of June 14 (Wednesday), then recurve northeastward and cross between Keti Bunder and the Indian Gujarat coast on the afternoon/evening of June 15 as a “very severe cyclonic storm” packing winds of 100-120km/hour, gusting 140km/hour.
The alert said that widespread wind-dust/thunderstorm rain with some very heavy/extremely heavy falls accompanied with squally winds of 80-100km/hour gusting 120km/hour were likely in Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparkar, Mirpurkhas and Umerkot between June 13-17.
Dust/thunderstorm-rain with few heavy falls and accompanied with squally winds of 60-80km/hour are likely in Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Shaheed Benazirabad and Sanghar districts from June 14-16.
Storm surge of 3-3.5 metres high are expected at point of landfall, Keti Bunder, and its surrounding areas, which would inundate low-lying settlements, the alert said. The centre also advised fishermen to not venture out into the open sea till the system abated by June 17.
It said sea conditions along Sindh’s coast may get “very rough to high”, with storm surge of 2-2.5 metres. Similarly, rough to very rough sea conditions were expected along Balochistan’s coast — with storm surge of two metres — that covers Sonmiani, Hub, Kund Malir, Ormara and surroundings areas.
According to the alert, dust/thunderstorm-rain with isolated heavy falls are also expected in the Hub and Lasbela districts of Balochistan from June 14-16 June.
Meanwhile, squally winds may cause damage to loose and vulnerable structures, including kutcha houses and solar panels.
Earlier, Deputy Chief Meteorologist Anjum said that the effects of the cyclone on Sindh’s coastal belt and ‘Karachi would be visible today, to some extent, and tomorrow’.
He said that winds, between 15-20km/h, were blowing during the day in Karachi from the north, northeast. He added that the warm winds were blowing from Rajasthan, under which Karachi would continue to experience warm weather.
Later in the evening, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said dust storms had begun on the Hyderabad-Karachi highway and urged the public to stay safe.
She added that the cyclone was veering northeast and was still on course to “hit Keti Bandar and Sir Creek area”.
Meanwhile, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik said the intensity of Biparjoy had gotten severe.
“According to scientific reports, the cyclone’s direction will turn to Keti Bandar and Indian Gujarat,” he stated, adding that an emergency had hence been imposed in all the vulnerable areas.
“On June 15, it will make landfall on Keti Bandar and adjoining areas. Because of its width, far-off areas along the coastline can be affected,” Gen Malik told reporters.
In Karachi, he continued, there were chances of thunderstorms. “For this, we have alerted all the authorities and preparations have been made to combat any untoward situation.”
The NDMA chief added that 100,000 people will be evacuated from vulnerable areas and assured that the process would be completed by the morning of June 15.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the Sindh provincial government, NDMA and other relevant organisations to utilise all-out resources to ensure people’s protection from the cyclone.
The prime minister, who chaired a meeting to review the preparedness ahead of the cyclone’s possible impact, asked the Sindh government, NDMA and other organisations to ensure the establishment of mobile hospitals in coastal areas and provide adequate emergency medical assistance there.
He said in view of the storm, special arrangements for clean drinking water and food should be made at the camps of displaced persons.
The prime minister instructed Power Minister Khurram Dastgir to ensure his presence in the districts of southern Sindh until the effects of the cyclone were over, to monitor the 24-hour power transmission system in the coastal areas.
PM Shehbaz said that after the cyclone, the possible damage to the power transmission system should be repaired immediately.
He also set up a committee to deal with the emergency situation arising in view of the cyclone. To be headed by Rehman, the committee would comprise the power minister, Food Security Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema, NDMA chairman, representatives of Sindh and Balochistan governments, the Meteorological Department and the National Institute of Health.
The prime minister instructed the committee for constant consultation to deal with the situation arising from the cyclone and keep the people aware of any possible emergency. He said that complete evacuation of people from coastal areas should be ensured besides providing relief materials to the people of the areas likely to be affected.
“All the institutions will collectively deal with the possible situation arising from the Biparjoy cyclone,” he resolved.
The meeting’s participants were briefed on the route of the cyclone and the possible collision with the coastal areas.
They were told that according to the current situation, the storm was likely to hit Keti Bunder on June 15 and was predicted to end completely within three days. Winds are blowing at an average speed of 140-150km per hour.
The gathered officials were further informed that 90 per cent of 50,000 people from 9,000 households were relocated from the coastal areas.
The participants were briefed that displaced people were being accommodated in government buildings and temporary camps where the Pakistan Army, NDMA, provincial government and district administration were providing food, tents, mosquito nets and clean drinking water.
The officials were told that all rescue and relief organisations in the possibly affected coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan were on high alert. Apart from this, the fishermen who were already in the sea were also being evacuated besides disallowing others from going to the sea.
The meeting’s participants were also briefed about the arrangements to deal with the situation arising in Karachi due to the change in the route of the storm.
They were told that as rains were expected in Karachi, the NDMA, provincial bodies, district administration and all related organisations were ready to deal with any emergency situation.
In a press conference Tuesday, Rehman warned that even if the Biparjoy Cyclone did not hit Pakistan’s coastline, high-velocity winds and rains were likely to cause damage.
She said that 113mm of rain was expected in Karachi and over 300mm of showers were predicted in Thatta.
“Mandatory evacuations have therefore begun in vulnerable areas, especially Keti Bandar, because saving human lives is the most important for us,” she pointed out.
The minister stated that warnings had been issued for fishermen while Pakistan Navy and maritime authorities had removed assets from the sea.
“The coastline is at high risk and waves between eight to 12 feet can hit the shores,” she cautioned, adding that the speed of the cyclone was 200km/hr which Rehman said was “a lot”.
“The situation is such that the cyclone can be seen heading toward the north-east and won’t hit where the intensity was previously. But I will once again say that the situation is very unpredictable and caution needs to be exercised.”
This, the minister went on to say, meant that people needed to be evacuated from vulnerable areas. “There is no other option.”
She revealed that Keti Bandar had been completely evacuated while Sujawal was partially evacuated. All the hospitals in Sindh were also put on alert and vacations had been called off.
Rehman also recalled that the areas declared vulnerable were the same that were impacted during the 2022 floods and expressed fears that the cyclone may halt relief and rebuilding work underway. She called on the prime minister to allot an amount from the budget for these areas and ensure speedy delivery of grants to the affected people.
Earlier, she took to Twitter to urge citizens to take the advisories issued by authorities seriously.
“#BiparjoyCyclone is real. Without panicking, people need to take @pdmasindhpk and @PDMABalochistan advisories seriously for the coastal areas,” she said.
“So far, it has reduced intensity only for Balochistan side [I am] told but it is highly unpredictable so please do NOT take it casually. It is varying in intensity but caution is crucial, especially near the Sindh coast.
“Karachi will likely face urban flooding given the scale and intensity of winds. Precautionary evacuations in Seaview areas have begun. We will keep you updated,” she said.
In another tweet, she said that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was coordinating with different stakeholders. She again advised the public to take advisories seriously, adding that evacuations were mandatory for “two union councils each from Badin and Thatta, including Keti Bunder”.
PPP Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari appealed to the public to take protective measures and to cooperate with the administration in view of the cyclone.
According to a statement issued by the Bilawal House Media Cell here on Tuesday, he said that according to meteorological reports, the coastal areas of Karachi, Thatta, Sujawal and Badin were under threat.
He said the Sindh government was alert in view of the cyclone and taking all possible safety measures, adding that all possible resources were being utilised to protect the life and property of the people.
Bilawal said that the people, especially those living in the coastal areas, should cooperate with the administration and move to safer places without delay.
He emphasised that citizens living in old and dilapidated buildings should also be shifted to safer places on an emergency basis.
He also appealed to the fishermen not to go into the open sea for the next few days until the weather returned to normal.
“Travelling during rainstorms should be avoided, as taking all precautionary measures is the only way to avoid the potential damage of a natural calamity,” he added.
FM Bilawal also instructed his party’s office-bearers and workers to lend a helping hand to the administration in rescue and relief activities, while the lawmakers of the party from the coastal areas should remain in their respective constituencies and stay in touch with the people.
“May God protect every nook and corner of Pakistan and every Pakistani from natural calamities and keep them safe,” he prayed.
By Tuesday night, a total of 56,895 people had been evacuated from three districts in Sindh — Badin, Sujawal and Thatta — according to data shared by Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon. Out of these, 22,260 were voluntary evacuations.
Meanwhile, the total vulnerable population in these areas is 71,380.
Hyderabad Commissioner Bilal Ahmed Memon told media that the evacuations were being carried out with the assistance of the Rangers.
“We are now shifting them forcibly because they are not realising the gravity of the situation,” he said, particularly mentioning that the authorities had to forcibly shift people from four villages of Kharo Chhan in Sujawal where 1,500 people were required to be evacuated overnight.
“And light rain has [already] started in Kharo Chhan,” he said.
Authorities, meanwhile, had completed the evacuation process in Sujawal’s Jati Shah and Shah Bunder, Thatta’s Keti Bunder and Ghora Bari and Badin’s Badin and Shaheed Fazil Rahu talukas, the commissioner said.
He added that Pakistan Army personnel were also prepared to assist with the process as “third tier response” teams, helping with arranging transport among other things.
The commissioner said the Pakistan Army would also be providing assistance at medical camps and during during relief activities.
Earlier, Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said during a Sindh Assembly session that desks had been set up by the health department at relief camps in vulnerable areas to prevent the spread of diseases.
He said the Sindh chief minister had directed all commissioners and deputy commissioners to ensure the provision of food and other essentials at the relief camps.
The Sindh Provincial Disaster Management Authority, he continued, was “proactive” and all the ministers had been instructed to remain in the field.
The minister further stressed that it was important to take precautionary measures in Karachi but at the same time called on the public to refrain from panicking.
“There are predictions of a cloudburst in Karachi which is concerning,” he said. “However, updates are still coming in and nothing conclusive can be said at the moment.”
Memon advised citizens to stay indoors because “if you leave the house unnecessarily it will create hurdles for the rescue services”.
“All kinds of unnecessary movement have been restricted […] Seaview has also been cordoned off,” he told the provincial assembly, adding that the Sindh government was taking all precautionary measures and needed the citizenry to cooperate.
Separately, Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) recommended voluntary evacuation for citizens residing in Darakhshan, Seaview and Emaar.
Speaking to media, DHA Spokesperson Farrukh Rizvi said arrangements had been made to relocate the area’s residents — particularly from Seaview and Darakhshan — to army guest houses in Karachi and clubs within the locality.
“If the number increases, we will move the people to Malir Cantonment,” he said, adding that relief camps had also been set up at schools, colleges and universities in DHA.
A list of these camps was being prepared and would soon be shared with the people through the authority’s social media pages, the spokesperson added.
He further stated that currently the focus was on voluntary evacuations and citizens could reach out to the authority at its helpline 1092.
On the situation of roads in the locality, Rizvi said all routes where construction was under way, such as Khayaban-i-Ittehad, Saba Avenue and Khayaban-i-Shahbaz, had been blocked from both ends. “Diversion markings have been placed on the routes.”
Moreover, he said information centres would be set up by tonight and regular updates were being shared with residents as the situation unfolded.
The spokesperson added that emergency response teams were being deployed across DHA with the necessary machinery for water drainage and security of property.
