Biparjoy: ‘100,000 people to be shifted to safe places by tomorrow’

National Disaster Management Authorities (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik said Tuesday that — in a bid to ensure the safety of those living in the country’s coastal belt ahead of the very severe cyclonic system (VSCS) Biparjoy — around 100,000 people will be shifted to safer places by tomorrow evening.

The NDMA chairman’s remarks came during a presser in the federal capital regarding the arrangement made to protect citizens ahead of June 15 — the day the storm is expected to make its landfall between Karachi and India’s Gujarat.

“Measures to control the storm’s effects and weather damage are in progress,” Malik said.

“The Sindh government along with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and relief camp medical missions in Balochistan have been alerted,” he added.

In the same presser, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said: “The storm is now heading towards Balochistan,” adding that the government is in constant touch with the NDMA.

“The storm will surely hit Keti Bandar; however, the NDMA is continuously monitoring the situation,” she said.

However, the climate minister assured people that the government had started taking measures to keep citizens safe.

“Keti Bandar, Thatta and Badin, amongst others, will be affected,” Rehman said, adding that all rescue missions and agencies have been put on alert.

She lamented: “Victims of the previous floods are still suffering and now this has come.”

In a tweet earlier today, Rehman warned that even though the storm had downgraded from “extremely severe” to “very severe”, urban flooding is likely in Karachi, given the scale and intensity of the winds.

She further wrote: “So far, more than 40,000 people have been evacuated, while 43 relief camps have been established.”

According to the Pakistan Meteorologist Department (PMD)’s latest advisory, the cyclone now lies about 470km south of Karachi, 460km south of Thatta, near Latitude 20.7°N and Longitude 67.1°E.