Pakistan initiates evacuation as Cyclone Biparjoy approaches coastal areas

Islamabad: Pakistan's southern Sindh province on Monday initiated evacuation procedures from its coastal area to avoid human and livestock losses in the wake of fast-approaching Cyclone Biparjoy, officials said.

The cyclone in the Arabian Sea is moving north and will likely hit Pakistan's southern coastal areas, including the provincial capital Karachi, Badin and Thatta, from Tuesday to Thursday, Chief Minister of Sindh province Murad Ali Shah told the media during his visit to coastal areas.

The chief minister said that the extremely severe cyclonic storm lies less than 600 km south of Karachi and might bring high wavelength, adding that the country's coastal areas have already started feeling the impact of strong winds and dust storms.

The authorities have ordered the removal of billboards, vacating buildings with weak structures, and taking action against building with weak glass panels as preemptive measures in Karachi.

The authorities feared that heavy rainfalls would also follow the cyclone and could affect the areas adjoining the coastal belt, causing floods.

Fishermen have been prohibited from boating in the open sea, and the sea view road in Karachi has also been blocked for traffic to prevent people from heading out into the sea.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department issued its 13th alert on Monday. It said that the cyclone's maximum sustained surface winds are 160-180 km per hour, adding "favorable environmental conditions are supporting the system to maintain its intensity, and it might have wave height of 35-40 feet." (UNI)