KARACHI, June 14, 2023: Sindh’s Sajawal district turned more vulnerable to powerful cyclone Biparjoy after high tides triggered by gusty winds and heavy showers hit shores at Shah Bandar on Wednesday noon.
The local administration vacated several villages from Shah Bandar area after intensity of sea waves grew. Strong winds knocked electricity poles down and transportation in the area was suspended.
Thatta, Sajawal, Badin, Kotri, Matiari, Tando Allah Yar and Tando Muhammad Khan are receiving continous downpour. Huge tides are being reported along the affected coastline. There are reports that some villages in Kharo Chan have been inundated with sea water.
Catching some intensity the tropical cyclone — Biparjoy — is hardly 300 kilometres away from Karachi and 288km from Port Keti Bandar, the National Disaster Management Authority said in its latest update on Wednesday.
Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfraz said the cyclone had moved north-northwestward during the last six hours.
Earlier situation
The tropical cyclone is expected to maintain a northward trajectory until Wednesday morning and then it is likely to recurve eastward and will make a landfall between Keti Bandar (Southeast Sindh Coastline) and the Indian Gujarat Coastline in the afternoon of Thursday (June 15), as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS).
According to the latest NDMA forecast, tropical cyclone has weakened into a “Very Severe Cyclonic Storm” (VSCS) — Category 3, with sustained windspeeds of approximately 140-150 km/h and gusts up to 170 km/h.
On Wednesday morning, Biparjoy was located in the Arabian Sea near Latitude 21.2° N and Longitude 66.6° E, roughly 380km south of Karachi and 390km south of Thatta.
The areas likely to be affected by Cyclone Biparjoy include Thatta, Badin, Sajawal, Tharparkar, Karachi, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Hyderabad, Ormara, Tando Allah Yar and Tando Mohammad Khan.
NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik said more than 100,000 people would be evacuated till June 14 (Wednesday). Addressing a presser flanked by Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman, he said the cyclone could hit Keti Bander on Thursday. “The evacuation process at coastal belt of Thatta, Keti and Jaati Bander and Umerkot is under way,” he added.
He informed that the Keti Bunder coastline and adjoining areas had been alerted whereas the security and law-enforcement agencies, provincial departments and volunteers were engaged in shifting the population to safer places. “The evacuated population will remain in the relief shelters till the situation normalises as strong windstorms and rains will take place,” he added.
All volunteers and non-government organisations (NGOs) who had been working during post-2022 floods would also be engaged in the process, he said. “The government of Sindh and other departments are engaged with the NDMA for relief activities,” he said.
The NDMA chairman said Pakistan Army, Rangers, PDMA and NGOs are ready to meet any untoward situation.
Meanwhile, Ms Rehman underlined that the leaves of all government officials and staff had been cancelled and hospitals were on high alert. She asked the people living near coastal belt of Sindh and Balochistan to follow precautionary measures mentioned in advisories issued by the NDMA to meet any untoward situation due to Cyclone Biparjoy.
She informed that eight relief camps in public schools and technical institutions’ buildings were established in Badin, three in Keti Bunder, and seven in the public schools. “As many as 12 feet high tides with a speed of 200 kilometres per hour can hit the coastal belt of the country,” she added.
The minister said fisherman had been warned to avoid going to the sea. ‘The old and mud houses can be damaged due to cyclone,” she added.
Ms Rehman went on to say that the intensity of the cyclone was increasing and moving speedily to the coastal belt of Sindh. She warned that low-lying areas of Karachi could be inundated due to rains and speedy winds of cyclone. She advised people to voluntarily move at safer places and cooperate with the evacuation teams and the staff whose leaves had been cancelled.
Evacuation
Accoridng to the Sindh CM House, out of the total vulnerable population of 71,380 residing in seven talukas of three districts (as estimated by the government), a total of 56,985 people had been evacuated by Tuesday evening. Of these, over 22,000 people left homes voluntarily. The evacuation took place in Keti Bundar and Ghora Bari, part of Thatta district; Shah Bundar, Jati and Kharochann, parts of Sajawal district; Shaheed Fazil Rahu tehsil (district Badin) and Badin.
PM directs to utilise all resources to protect people
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed the Sindh provincial government, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and other relevant organisations to utilise all-out resources to ensure people’s protection keeping in view the Biparjoy cyclone.
The prime minister, who chaired a meeting to review the preparedness ahead of the possible impact of the cyclone, asked the Sindh government, the NDMA and other organisations to ensure the establishment of mobile hospitals in coastal areas and provide adequate emergency medical assistance there.
He said in view of the storm, special arrangements of clean drinking water and food should be made at the camps of displaced persons.
The prime minister instructed Power Minister Engineer Khurram Dastagir Khan to ensure his presence in the districts of southern Sindh until the effects of the cyclone were over to monitor the 24-hour power transmission system in the coastal areas. Prime Minister Shehbaz said after the cyclone, the possible damage to the power transmission system should be repaired immediately.
At least 45,000 people shifted to safe places
Authorities backed by the military have evacuated about 45,000 people from coastal towns in the past two days. Another 35,000 were expected to be moved before the cyclone’s hits land on Thursday. However, strong winds already were reported from some of the southern coastal areas.
The displaced people are being accommodated in government buildings and temporary camps where army and NDMA are providing food, tents, mosquito nets and clean drinking water in collaboration with the provincial governments.
Sherry Rehman said at a news conference on Tuesday that the cyclone was expected to hit some of the districts where floods last summer left 1,739 people dead and caused $30 billion in losses. She said the government would do its best to ensure the speedy evacuation of people from coastal areas and promised efforts would be made to let them return home once the situation improves.
Climate change leading to increase in cyclones in Arabian Sea region
Experts say climate change is leading to an increase in cyclones in the Arabian Sea region, making preparations for natural disasters all the more urgent. Pakistan is among the top 10 countries most affected by climate change, although the country’s contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is less than 1%.
“The oceans have become warmer already on account of climate change,” Raghu Murtugudde, an Earth system scientist at the University of Maryland said. A recent study shows that the Arabian Sea has warmed up by almost 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) since March this year, making conditions favourable for severe cyclones, he said.
A 2021 study found that the frequency, duration and intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea had increased significantly between 1982 and 2019, he said.
UN climate reports have also stated that the intensity of tropical cyclones would increase in a warmer climate. A report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2019 found that since the 1950s, the fastest sea surface warming has occurred in the Indian Ocean.
Cyclone Tauktae in 2021 was the last severe cyclone that made landfall in the same region. It claimed 174 lives, a relatively low figure thanks to extensive preparations ahead of the cyclone.
In 1998, a cyclone that hit Gujarat state claimed more than 1,000 lives and caused excessive damage. A cyclone that hit Sindh province and the city of Karachi in 1965 killed more than 10,000 people.
UN to help Pakistan deal with impact of cyclone Biparjoy: spokesman
The United Nations will help Pakistan and India in whatever way it can in dealing with the impacts of the approaching cyclone Biparjoy, a U.N. spokesman said on Tuesday.
“I have had no doubt that our country teams both in India and Pakistan and other countries that may be impacted are very much tracking the storm and doing whatever they can do to prepare for the aftermath,” Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in response to a question at the regular noon briefing in New York.
“And as always,” he added, “the United Nations will stand and assist in whatever way we can afterward, hoping that no major damage has been caused, of course.”
WHO mobilises partners for cyclone response plan
The World Health Organization (WHO) has mobilised health sector partners for initiating a preparedness and response plan for Tropical Cyclone Biparjoy. According to the WHO, currently Pakistan is facing the threat of Tropical Cyclone Biparjoy, and due to the threat people living along the coastal areas in Sindh are being evacuated to safer places.
The government, being fully cognisant of the looming threat of the cyclone, has taken appropriate safety measures for protecting the precious human lives. WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr Palitha Mahipala chaired an Incident Management Support Team (IMST) and health sector partners meeting on Tuesday in the wake of severe cyclone Biparjoy and issued immediate directives for preparations for Tropical Cyclone Biparjoy emergency preparedness and response measures.
WHO along with Health Sector Partners is also coordinating with federal and provincial health ministries for monitoring and developing a preparedness and response plan according to the evolving situation of the cyclone.
In view of this, WHO has prepositioned essential emergency medicines in Sindh to provide emergency assistance to vulnerable communities. This emergency stock includes Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS), Aqua Tabs and essential medicines.
“We are closely monitoring the cyclone situation and remain on alert during the forecast period to extend every possible support to the Government of Pakistan,” remarked WHO Representative in Pakistan, Dr. Palitha Mahipala.
WHO has convened Health Sector Partner Coordination meeting for joint preparedness and response plan to the cyclone. UNICEF, UNFPA, Save the Children, ICRC participated and reiterated their support for rapid response.
It is pertinent to mention here that WHO is coordinating the health response under the Government of Pakistan’s leadership. The Technical working group has been formulated to oversight the cyclone emergency preparedness plan and mechanism for the response.
“We are focusing and preparing for the health needs of affected communities in the wake of an emergency. Our priority is to ensure their needs are met and there is no disruption in the provision of essential health services including emergency and trauma care,” WHO Representative in Pakistan, Dr Palitha Mahipala said.
Simultaneously, the WHO has also activated Strategic Health Operation Centre (SHOC Room) in its Country Office to coordinate the health response to the cyclone and extend full support to scale up provincial capacities and mobilize human and financial resources.
All the partners ensured to have their representatives at the SHOC room for the timely, well-coordinated, and collective response efforts.
WHO is leading the coordination for Health Sector Partners and is conducting daily follow-up meetings.