KARACHI: Pakistan's Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said on Tuesday Karachi was likely to face urban flooding given the scale and intensity of winds generated by Biparjoy, a powerful cyclonic storm that is expected to hit parts of Pakistan and India on Thursday.
Rehman’s warning came as the Pakistan Meteorological Department said the cyclone was expected to make a landfall on June 15, crossing between Keti Bandar in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province and the Indian state of Gujarat.
On Monday, the government in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province kicked off an evacuation drive in coastal villages and islands as favorable conditions in the Arabian Sea further intensified the storm.
“Karachi will likely face urban flooding given the scale & intensity of winds. Precautionary evacuations in Seaview areas have begun,” Rehman wrote on Twitter, warning people to take the government's advisories seriously.
“So far, it has reduced intensity only for the Balochistan side am told but it is highly unpredictable so please do NOT take it casually. It is varying in intensity but caution is crucial, esp near the Sindh coast.”
Rehman’s warning about urban flooding in Karachi raised concerns about the safety of Pakistan’s financial capital, where torrential rains caused widespread flooding and damages last year when historic monsoon rains across the country affected more than 30 million people.
Speaking to the media, the Sindh government’s spokesperson, Murtaza Wahad, admitted that people in Karachi, which was at risk of urban flooding, were resisting orders from the authorities.
“The cyclone is just 410 kilometers away from Karachi. It’s not fun. People should not go towards the beach. We are facing difficulty in removing billboards, but we are doing it,” he said.
Farooq Soomro, deputy commissioner of Sindh's Thatta district, said an evacuation operation along the coast was expected by Tuesday evening.
“Pakistan army, Rangers, police and district administration are busy moving people to safer locations from coastal villages and creeks in Thatta district,” Soomro said.
Asad Raza, a senior superintendent of police in Karachi's South distric, said law enforcement was pondering forced evacuation in case people chose to stay despite warnings.
“The restaurants at the beach have been asked to shut down as safety [of people] is top priority,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Met Office said Biparjoy over the northeast Arabian Sea had moved further north-northwestward since morning and was now at a distance of about 410km south of Karachi and 400km south of Thatta.
“Under the existing upper-level steering winds, the VSCS ‘BIPARJOY’ is most likely to track further Northward until 14 June morning, then recurve Northeastward and cross between Keti Bandar (Southeast Sindh) and Indian Gujarat coast on 15 June afternoon/evening as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) with packing winds of 100-120 Km/hour gusting 140 km/hour,” the Met Office said.
Possible impacts included the cyclone’s probable approach to the southeast Sindh coast, widespread wind, dust and thunderstorms, and heavy rain accompanied by “squally winds of 80-100Km/hour gusting 120km/hour likely in Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparker, Mirpurkhas & Umerkot districts during 13-17 June,” according to the Met Office.
Storms and rain are also expected in Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allayar, Shaheed Benazirabad, and Sanghar districts on June 14-16.
“Squally (high intensity) winds may cause damage to loose & vulnerable structures (Kutcha houses) including solar panels etc,” the Met Office further said. “Storm surge of 3-3.5 meters (8-12 feet) expected at the land falling point (Keti Bandar and around) which can inundate the low-lying settlements.”
It warned fishermen not to venture in the open sea till the weather system subsides by June 17.
