KARACHI: Sparing most of the Pakistani coast in southeast Sindh, the Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) Biparjoy hit the port of Jakhau on the Indian Gujarat coast as Category-1 storm on Thursday night, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said adding that landfall process was completed on late night, causing most of the damage on the Indian coast. It affected the largely uninhabited areas of Pakistan’s border with India.
The storm, however, caused heavy rains accompanied by squally winds of 80-100 kilometres per hour in the coastal area of Pakistan between Keti Bandar and the Indian coast of Gujarat, the PMD said but added that most of the inhabited areas on southeast Sindh remained safe from the direct impact of the cyclone Biparjoy.
As a precautionary measure, Pakistani authorities moved over 75,000 people from the coastal districts of Thatta, Sujawal and Badin to temporary shelters and deployed personnel of Pakistan Army, Navy, and paramilitary Rangers to help the local administration in relief activities while national and international health and relief organizations had set up their camps at safe locations with necessary medicines, equipment, ration and other necessities.
An official of the PMD told The News that Cyclone Biparjoy “spared most of the Pakistani coast” and made the landfall at port of Jakhau on Indian Gujarat coast while some of the “uninhabited areas on Pakistani coast” between Keti Bandar and Rann of Katch faced the impact of the cyclone, adding that Keti Bandar and other coast towns remained safe from the impacts of cyclone.
“Despite weakening, Cyclone Biparjoy affected an area of 500-600 kilometres between Pakistani and Indian coasts, mostly on the Indian coast of Gujarat. A true picture of the effects of the cyclone would be known by tomorrow or in the coming days,” the official said adding that fortunately, serious damages on the Pakistani coast of southeast Sindh were not expected.
Quoting PMD’s cyclone alert No27, the PMD official said Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall at a distance of 150 kms from Keti Bandar, 200 kms from Thatta and 245 kms from Karachi. At that time, maximum sustained surface winds were 100-120 Km/hour, gusts 130 Km/hour around the system centre, and sea conditions being rough/phenomenal with maximum wave height 20-25 feet, the official added.
Commenting on the situation on Friday and Saturday, the PMD official maintained that widespread rain-thunderstorm with some heavy/very heavy falls accompanied by squally winds of 80-100 Km/hour are likely in Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparkar, Mirpurkhas and Umerkot districts till June 17. “Dust/thunderstorm-rain with a few heavy falls and accompanied with gusty winds of 30-50 Km/hour are also likely in Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Shaheed Benazirabad and Sanghar districts tonight and tomorrow,” he said adding that squally winds may cause damage to loose and vulnerable structures (Kutcha houses) in Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparkar and Umerkot districts.
He maintained that a storm surge of 2-2.5 meters (6-8 feet) is expected along Keti Bandar and surrounding areas, which can inundate the low-lying areas and added that sea conditions along the Sindh-Makran coast are likely to be rough/very rough (2-2.5 meters). “Fishermen are advised not to venture into the open sea till the system is over by 17 June,” he added.
The PMD official said Karachi received light rain on Thursday under the influence of the weather system in the Arabian Sea and in most of the areas, 5-10 mm of rain was recorded and added that moderate to heavy showers are expected in Karachi on Friday and Saturday with strong winds.
Meanwhile, Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall on India’s Gujarat coast near the Pakistan border late on Thursday evening, the India weather office said, as strong winds and heavy rain lashed coastal areas of the two countries.
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