KARACHI: A cyclonic storm over the Arabian Sea has intensified into a severe system located about 390 kilometers south-southwest of Karachi, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Saturday, while also forecasting more rain in eastern Punjab from Oct. 5 to 7 as the province continues to grapple with flood damage.
At least 1,037 people have died in Pakistan due to heavy rains, floods and landslides during the annual monsoon season between Jun. 26 and Oct. 1, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
More than 3.6 million people were affected across 3,363 villages, with nearly 1.3 million moved to safer areas and hundreds of relief camps established in inundated districts of Punjab, the country’s agricultural heartland.
The floods largely spared southern Sindh, unlike three years ago when Pakistan lost over 1,700 lives and the province was the worst hit. However, winds and thunderstorms accompanied by light to moderate rain triggered by Cyclone SHAKHTI are expected to affect
Karachi, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Jamshoro, Hub, Lasbela, Awaran and Kech districts in Sindh and Balochistan.
“Sea conditions are likely to remain rough to very rough with squally winds of 40-50 gusting 55 km/hour near the Sindh coast,” the PMD said in a statement. “Fishermen are advised not to venture into deep sea till Oct. 5.”
The cyclone is expected to move west-southwest, reaching the northwestern and adjoining central parts of the Arabian Sea by Oct. 5, before changing direction and weakening over the next 24 hours.
The PMD said winds could blow at 90 to 100 kilometers per hour, strengthening to around 110 km/h, with gusts as high as 125 km/h in the following 36 hours.
It said winds would weaken later, but the sea would remain rough to very high over the north-central Arabian Sea.
RAIN IN PUNJAB
Meanwhile, Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said rains are expected to return to the province on Oct. 5 and continue in the northern regions of Pakistan until Oct. 7.
He said the intensity of rainfall may increase on Oct. 6-7, with 50 to 70 millimeters expected in several districts of Punjab, adding that heavy rains could raise river flows to between 100,000 and 150,000 cusecs.
Punjab has been reeling from weeks of flooding that inundated farmland, destroyed crops, displaced thousands and disrupted transport and irrigation networks, leaving many rural communities struggling to recover.
Pakistan remains among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with scientists warning that rising temperatures are making South Asian monsoon rains heavier and more erratic.
Seasonal downpours provide up to 80 percent of the country’s annual rainfall but frequently cause widespread destruction.
The catastrophic 2022 floods submerged one-third of Pakistan, displaced 30 million people and caused economic losses exceeding $35 billion.
