Cyclone Biparjoy: Seaview cordoned off as ‘cloudburst expected in Karachi

 

 

 Karachi’s Seaview Road was blocked for traffic on Monday to prevent people from heading out into the open sea as the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said Bipar­joy, now classified as an “extr­emely severe cyclonic storm”, was around 600km away from the coastal city.

 

 

“Abdul Sattar Edhi Avenue has been closed at Sehr junction while traffic from Dolmen Mall, Clifton is being diverted to Khayaban-i-Ittehad via Saba Avenue,” South Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Syed Asad Raza

Key developments

• PMD says heavy rain, thunderstorm and squally winds likely in Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparker and Umerkot districts from June 13-17
• Sindh CM conducts aerial inspection of coastline, says cloudburst expected in Karachi and preparations for evacuations from areas at risk under way
• Police official says 15 checkpoints have been established at Seaview
• Hyderabad commissioner says sea level will rise by four to five metres when storm hits

“However, traffic from Clock Tower towards Dolmen Mall has been allowed,” he said.

 The precautions came as the PMD issued a fresh advisory which said the cyclone had “moved further northward during the last 12 hours” and lay at a distance of about 600km south of Karachi, 580km south of Thatta and 710km southeast of Ormara.

Karachi’s Seaview Road was blocked for traffic on Monday.

The Met department said the system was “most likely to track further northward until June 14 morning”.

It added that the cyclone would then recurve northeastward and cross between Keti Bandar (southeast Sindh) and the Indian Gujrat coast on June 15 as a “very severe cyclonic storm”.

The PMD said the cyclone’s maximum sustained surface winds were 160-180km per hour while gusts as high as 200km/h were around the system centre. Sea conditions were “phenomenal around the system centre with maximum wave height 35-40 feet”, it added.

“The favourable environmental conditions … are supporting the system to maintain its intensity,” the PMD said. The department added that its cyclone warning centre in Karachi was continuously monitoring the system and would issue updates accordingly.

In its alert, the PMD cited the system’s approach towards the southeast Sindh coast and warned citizens that “widespread wind-dust/thunderstorm rain with some very heavy/extremely heavy falls accompanied with squally winds of 80-100km/hour” were likely in Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparker and Umerkot districts from June 13-17.

It further said that “dust/thunderstorm-rain with few heavy falls and accompanied with squally winds of 60-80km/h” were likely in Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allayar, Shaheed Benazirabad and Sanghar districts from June 14 to 16.

“Squally (high-intensity) winds may cause damage to loose & vulnerable structures (kutcha houses), including solar panels, etc,” the department said.

A storm surge of 3-3.5 metres was expected when the cyclone made landfall which could inundate low-lying settlements, it highlighted.

The PMD advised fishermen to not venture out into the open sea “till the system is over by June 17 as the Arabian Sea conditions may get very rough/high accompanied with high tides along the coast”.

‘Elaborate security plan’

Meanwhile, SSP Raza said that there was “no ban on going to Seaview” but restrictions were in place on venturing out into the open sea for swimming, fishing, etc.

“In view of the upcoming cyclone, District South police have issued an elaborate security plan to prevent foolhardy visitors from venturing out into the open sea despite a clear ban by the Sindh government.

“We have set up over 15 checkpoints at Seaview and other roads leading to the beach for public safety,” the SSP highlighted.

SSP Raza added that emergency control rooms had been set up at Seaview to “help visitors in distress”.

Rainfall expected in Sindh

 Met Office spokesperson Sardar Sarfaraz said the maximum wave height could go up to 12ft when the cyclone hit Pakistan’s coastline.

He said that the weather in Karachi was warm right now due to which the sea breeze “has been kind of trapped”. He said that winds would blow from the south or southeast in the next two days which could cause temperatures to rise to 40 degrees Celsius or above.