The government in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province kicked off an evacuation drive in coastal villages and islands as a storm off India’s west coast has strengthened to become a powerful cyclone and could hit parts of India and Pakistan this week.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), Cyclone Biparjoy is projected to pass between Keti Bandar in Pakistan’s Sindh province and the Indian Gujarat coast on the afternoon of Thursday, June 15.
The extremely severe cyclonic storm (ESCS) has continued to drift toward the Pakistani coastline in Sindh and southwestern Balochistan provinces, putting multiple key ports and cities at risk.
“The deputy commissioners of the coastal belt have been issued instructions to evacuate around 50,000 people, which amounts to 9,000 families, by tomorrow evening,” Syed Salman Shah, Director General of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority Sindh, told Arab News.
“Currently, several thousand people from the areas around Keti Bandar and nearby islands have been evacuated. The deputy commissioners of Thatta and Sujawal districts have been instructed regarding the 100 percent evacuation of the coastal areas that may be submerged by water.” Separately, heavy rains swept through Pakistan’s northwest on the weekend, causing several houses to collapse and leaving at least 27 people dead and 145 injured.
An unusually warm Arabian Sea with wind conditions that helped it sustain for 144 hours, Biparjoy was fueled by extreme energy from the ocean, say experts. Cyclone Biparjoy, which is expected to make landfall in Gujarat on Thursday, underwent rapid intensification twice during its lifecycle after it developed on June 7, experts said on Monday.
Cyclone Biparjoy, which is expected to make landfall in Gujarat on Thursday, underwent rapid intensification twice during its lifecycle after it developed on June 7, experts said on Monday. Cyclone Biparjoy is now over eastcentral Arabian Sea and expected to cross Saurashtra, Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts between Mandvi (Gujarat) and Karachi (Pakistan) near Jakhau Port (Gujarat) by noon on Thursday as a very severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph.
Such rapid intensification of cyclones over Arabian Sea is unusual and dangerous, experts said.
An unusually warm Arabian Sea with wind conditions that helped it sustain for 144 hours, Biparjoy was fueled by extreme energy from the ocean, experts added.
