Cyclone Biparjoy diverts towards Keti Bandar
KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: Cyclone Biparjoy changed its direction on Wednesday and it will hit the Keti Bandar Port in Thatta and Badin areas in Sindh province. Karachi city, nevertheless, is safe from the cyclone.
Earlier, the rescue teams evacuated more than 100,000 people from the coastal areas of Pakistan on Wednesday to protect them from the risks of the cyclone.
Biparjoy, meaning “disaster” in Bengali, is advancing across the Arabian Sea. It can make landfall today.
Sea tides rise further as Cyclone Biparjoy hits Keti Bandar, Thatta today.
Weather experts have predicted powerful winds, storm surges, and lashing rains which will affect a 325-km stretch of coast between Mandvi in India’s Gujarat state and Karachi in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday the Federal Minister for Climate Change said that Cyclone Biparjoy will not hit Karachi. However, Senator Sherry Rehman said that Keti Bandar, Thatta, Badin, and Sajawal are still facing the risk of natural calamity.
She further said that the intensity of the cyclone has decreased and it will be evaluated further on Wednesday.
Minister also said Karachi is expected to receive about 110mm of rainfall. Nonetheless, Thatta, Badin, and Sajawal are set to experience around 330mm of rain.
Senator Sherry said, “We have issued a red alert till June 18 and will revise the advisory at 11 or 12 o’clock on the day the storm would make a landfall.”
Karachi is no more at risk of facing the cyclone
Federal Minister said, “Evacuations are painful and hard to embark on but we must insist on them in areas where Cyclone Biparjoy is making landfall. For Coastal areas like Keti Bandar evacuations are not optional.”
Threat to Karachi is over, says PDM chief
Chief Meteorologist of the Pakistan Meteorologist Department Sardar Sarfaraz said the storm’s intensity had decreased.
“There is no dangerous situation in Karachi, the cyclone will exit from the city’s south,” he said.
