Pak authorities on high alert as Biparjoy likely to hit Sindh's coastline

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in Pakistan has put the authorities concerned on high alert as Cyclone Biparjoy is gaining strength and has now turned into an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm (ESCS), Pakistan-based Geo News reported. It is likely to affect Sindh's coastal regions on June 13.

The NDMA in its update on Sunday said that the cyclone might intensify in the next 24 hours and is likely to affect the south and south-eastern regions of Sindh on Tuesday. According to NDMA, the cyclone can cause strong winds, torrential rains and floods in coastal regions of the province, according to Geo News report.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has instructed authorities to run an awareness campaign in the local language to inform people in the coastal areas regarding weather conditions and advise them against visiting the shorelines. The NDMA further said, "Fishermen should avoid boating in the open sea. Follow and cooperate with local authorities in emergency situation."

The NDMA in close coordination with Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Sindh and Balochistan, Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Maritime Security Authority (PMSA) and Pakistan Coast Guards (PCG) is issuing advisories and guidelines to concerned stakeholders at national and provincial levels to take proactive preparedness and mitigation steps, the report said.

In its latest update on the cyclone at 10:07 pm, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm (ESCS) Biparjoy over the east-central Arabian Sea has moved further northward during the past 12 hours, Geo News reported. According to PMD, the ESCS Biparjoy now lies near Latitude 18.7°N and Longitude 67.8°E at a distance of about 690 kilometres south of Karachi, 670 kilometres south of Thatta and 720 kilometres southeast of Ormara.

The PMD said, "Maximum sustained surface winds are 180-200 Km/hour gusts 220 Km/hour around the system centre and sea conditions being phenomenal around the system canter with maximum wave height 35-40 feet." It further stated that favourable environmental conditions are supporting the system to maintain its severity, as per the news report.

According to PMD, the cyclone under the existing upper-level steering winds is most likely to track further northward until June 14 morning, then recurve northeastward and cross between Keti Bandar (Southeast Sindh) and Gujarat coast in India on June 15 afternoon as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS).

Due to the cyclone's threat, the authorities in Karachi have placed a ban on entering the city's beaches for fishing, swimming, sailing and bathing. The ban is in effect from June 11 till the "end of the storm," according to Geo News report.

The decision has been taken to avoid any untoward incident of shipwreck or drowning. However, despite the ban, people continue to do fishing at the beach and fishermen were also present in the sea with their boats.

Meanwhile, fishermen of Ormara have been advised to stay away from the sea from June 11 to June 17. Furthermore, people have been barred from picnicking near the sea, the report said.

Considering the PDM alert on the cyclone, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in Pakistan instructed the concerned authorities to take precautionary steps at Karachi airport to avoid any untoward situation.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) instructed airport authorities to shift the lightweight aircraft to a safe place or be "tied to something strong" as winds are predicted to blow at a speed of 60 to 80 km per hour in Karachi, Geo News reported.

The goods near the runways and tarmac region should be shifted to a safe place keeping in view the risk of collision. Furthermore, spraying should be ensured during thunderstorms and strong winds in order to control various types of insects. The CAA said that additional bird shooters should be used to keep the birds away from the aircraft.

Meanwhile, the airport authorities have been advised to ensure the functionality of all lightning equipment in and around airfield runways. In the advisory, the CAA said a team should be set up to determine runway friction during rain to ensure the safe operations of aircraft.

Pakistan's Climate Minister Sherry Rehman said that the relevant authorities in Sindh and Balochistan should remain on high alert. She tweeted, "All depts in Sindh and Balochistan should be on high alert. #BiparjoyCyclone is unpredictable yet categorised as high intensity. Panic is counterproductive but caution and planning are better than being caught unawares.