A new cyclone, dubbed Biparjoy, is making its way across the Arabian Sea towards the coastlines of Pakistan and India, expected to make landfall at the end of the week.
Authorities concerned have begun evacuating families along the coastline of Sindh, including in the port city of Karachi, home to around 20 million people.
The cyclone could bring winds, storm surges, and urban flooding from Tuesday evening as it approaches.
While the authorities concerned have started taking precautionary measures — including banning entry at beaches, removal of signboards, etc.
In light of this, people are wondering how cyclones are named and by whom.
A committee named Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) is tasked with naming tropical cyclones in South Asia, according to Voice of America. The panel initially comprised seven countries but has now increased to 13, including:
This time, the name ‘Biparjoy’ was suggested by Bangladesh.
Prior to 2004, there was no tradition of naming storms as they were numbered; however, later, it was decided among the PTC and the meteorological departments of all countries that storms should be named in a manner that is easy to pronounce.
It was also decided among the member countries that each country would take turns in giving a name to each cyclone, and the names should be easy to remember and pronounce. Turns are decided according to the alphabetical order.
Cyclone Biparjoy is likely to hit the coastal belt of southeast Sindh between Pakistan/Rann of Kutch-Indian Gujarat coasts by June 15 afternoon as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS), officials said on Sunday evening.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said that the cyclone could cause strong winds, torrential rains, and floods in coastal areas of the province.
The NDMA directed the authorities concerned to run an awareness campaign in the local language to inform residents of the coastal areas of weather conditions and advise them against visiting the shorelines.
“Fishermen should avoid boating in the open sea. Follow and cooperate with local authorities in emergency situations,” it added.
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