Pakistan: Cyclone Biparjoy to hit Sindh's Keti Bandar today

Pakistan Climate Energy Minister Sherry Rehman on Wednesday said that Cyclone Biparjoy will hit Sindh's Keti Bandar on Thursday at 11 am (local time), Pakistan-based Geo News reported.

While addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, Sherry Rehman spoke regarding the cyclone hitting Sindh on Thursday. She further said that till now, 66,000 people have been evacuated to safer places from Sindh's coastal areas.

Sherry Rehman urged the people to cooperate with authorities. She said that all rescue agencies are prepared for relief operations. Rehman further said, "The true form of the cyclone will be known tomorrow," Geo News reported.

Pakistan Climate Minister said Thatta, Sujawal, Badin and Tharparkar districts will be hit the hardest by the cyclone. She further said that Biparjoy is moving away from Karachi and added that cyclone has forced the authorities to suspend small aircraft operations in Pakistan.

She said that operations of commercial flights will be suspended as the cyclone drew closer to Pakistan. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) in its latest update said that Cyclone Biparjoy over the northeast Arabian Sea has moved nearly northeastward in the past six hours.

PMD said that Cyclone Biparjoy now lies near latitude 22.1°N and longitude 66.9°E at a distance of about 310 kilometres south of Karachi, 300km south-southwest Thatta and 240km south-southwest of Keti Bandar, Geo News reported.

It further said, "Maximum sustained surface winds are 150-160 Km/hour gusts 180 Km/hour around the system center and sea conditions being phenomenal around the system center with maximum wave height 30 feet."

According to PMD, favourable environmental conditions are in support to sustain the Cyclone strength through the forecast period. Under the existing upper-level steering winds, the cyclone is likely to keep tracking Northeastward and cross between Keti Bandar and India's Gujarat coast on Thursday evening with packing winds of 100-120km per hour and gusting 140km per hour.

While addressing the Pakistan National Assembly, Sherry Rehman said that all tracking institutions of Pakistan, including PMD and Suparco are working with international satellites as Cyclone Biparjoy is inching closer to Pakistan's coastline, Geo News reported. She further said the cyclone could impact the coastal areas of Karachi with landfalls and gusty winds and was going away from Balochistan.