‘Biparjoy’ means disaster or calamity in Bengali. At present, Biparjoy, which has turned into a “very severe cyclonic storm”, is approaching Pakistan, due to which the authorities are taking precautionary measures to reduce the possible loss of life and property.
The “extremely severe cyclonic storm” is likely to make landfall between KT port in Sindh’s Thatta district and Kutch district in India. According to the latest update released by the Pakistan Meteorological Department on Thursday evening, the cyclone has moved further east-northeast and is now about 245 km south of Karachi, 200 km south of Thatta and 150 km south of Keti port. is in
Climate Change and Environmental Co-ordination Minister Sherry Rahman said Cyclone ‘Biparjoy’ has ‘slowed down’ and will not make landfall before nightfall. The minister told a press conference in Islamabad that earlier it was estimated that the cyclone would hit the coast at around 11 am. “But its speed has reduced to 6-7 kilometers per hour, the time of its impact has also been delayed and now it is likely to hit the coast after nightfall,” he said.
Although the minister has said that the speed of the cyclone has reduced, but it still remains severe and the places identified earlier are still in danger and need to be vigilant. Sherry said, “We had earlier told four districts to be in danger. Thatta, Badin, Sujawal and Malir (Karachi). But, now that the path has turned towards the north-east, Tharpakad area also needs to be alert about the effect of the cyclone.
He informed that the work of evacuating people from the affected coastal areas to safer places has been completed and so far about 82,000 people have been taken to safer places. The minister said, “All institutions including the Navy, police force, rangers are helping in this.” He said that the Air Force is not needed at the moment and will help if needed.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the concerned authorities to evacuate thousands of people from the coastal areas to safer places and make other arrangements as a precautionary measure to deal with the cyclone. He tweeted on Wednesday, “I just spoke to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and discussed preparations to deal with the cyclone. I appreciate the arrangements made by the Sindh government under the leadership of the Chief Minister. I assured full support of the federal government to the Sindh government. If Allah wills, we will overcome this situation with the cooperation of the public.
Pakistan has already deployed personnel from the civil administration and armed forces to help with rescue operations in the coastal areas. Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said there was no immediate threat to Karachi, but emergency measures were being taken to deal with the winds and rain that could damage the country’s economic hub.
According to the alert of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), under the influence of Cyclone Biparjoy, there will be strong winds, storm waves and heavy rains in the 325 km long coastal area between Mandvi and Karachi in the Indian state of Gujarat.
Earlier, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon told reporters that so far people living in Thatta, KT Bandar, Sujawal, Badin, Umerkot, Tharparkar, Shaheed Benazirabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allayar and Sanghar have been shifted to safer places. Is. He said these people have been given shelter in government schools, colleges and government offices with strong buildings and adequate food, water and medical aid is being provided.
Memon said that in several areas of Thatta, Keti Bunder and Sujawal, some families were not ready to leave their homes, but had to be forcibly evicted for security reasons. “There are also people who had voluntarily moved to safer places,” he said.
Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir cautions citizens about “temporary reduction in RLNG-based power generation and temporary increase in load-shedding” as cyclone disrupts RLNG (re-gasified liquefied natural gas-based) supplies in Pakistan Did. The minister warned that the cyclone could affect the power transmission system in the coastal areas of Karachi and other parts of Sindh.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik said that Biparjoy is on the same path as predicted by the PMD. A spokesman for the Defense Housing Authority in Karachi also said that around 2,000 residents living in the Seaview and Darakshan housing areas, located near Seaview Beach, have voluntarily moved to other safer places.
The government is issuing alerts to citizens to stay away from coastal areas, beaches. Fishing activities have been banned and all ports in the region have been closed. Malik said, “Precaution will have to be taken till the risk is over.”
Defense Housing Authority (DHA) spokesman Farooq Rizvi said that if the situation worsens and if needed, more people can be evacuated and sent to safer places. He said that all restaurants and amusement parks near Seaview and DHA beaches have been closed.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said that Jinnah International Airport in Karachi is operational but in case of inclement weather, security measures are taken as per the standard operating procedure (SOP) laid down at the airport. “The pilots are regularly briefed about wind speed and weather,” said an official.
The CAA said, “In unusual circumstances, the pilot selects the nearest suitable destination for take-off or landing of the aircraft after considering the terrain and weather conditions.” Due to this, 15 people had lost their lives in Sindh and Makran coastal areas and thousands of people had become homeless.
