Akhtar Shaheen Rind
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah paid a surprise visit to the city to ensure the removal of billboards, neon signs, traffic sign boards, and other loose installations to avert damage or any untoward incidents during the cyclonic winds which are expected to lash the city on June 15.
Mr. Shah without protocol, accompanied by Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput and Commissioner Karachi Iqbal Memon started his visit right from Shahrah-e-Faisal opposite FTC building, at the nursery, near the airport the foundation/structure of the billboard was still fixed. The CM directed the commissioners to activate his deputy commissioners and DMCs to remove them.
The chief minister at Quaidabad visited an old building where not only people were living but billboards were hanging on its rooftop. Mr. Shah then and there got the board removed and asked the commissioner to shift the people to a secure place.
Mr. Shah then went to Chashman Goth, Rehri Goth, Ibrahim Hyderi, and Korangi Creek to review the shifting of the people from the area.
Evacuation from Karachi: Briefing the chief minister of the Commissioner said that the estimated population to be affected during Cyclone is around 40,000 and the suspected population to be shifted to Rescue Points is around 5000 to 10,000 thousand.
Lath Basti: Three buildings of educational institutions – Government Primary Schoo, Lath Basti, Degree College Cattle Colony, and Tsunami Center Lath Basi have been designated as relief camps.
Rehri & Dabla Para: TFC School Rehri, Govt hospital Rehri, Primary school Rehri, Wagoo Da, Tsunami Centre Rehri, would be relief camps.
Chashma Goth: TRelief Camps have been set up at sunami center Ali Mohammad Khaskheli Goth, Tsunami Center Jatt Para, Primary school Wagoo Darr-II, Secondary School Ali Mohammad Khaskheli village.
Ibrahim Hyderi: Tsunami Center Ibrahim Hyderi, Girls Degree College, Football Ground, and Ibrahim Hyderi Primary School.
The CM was told that shifting of the people have been started.
Evacuation from Thatta, Sujawal and Badin:
The Commissioner Hyderabad has informed the chief minister that the total vulnerable population of Thatta, Sujawal, and Badin is 85,022, of which 24105 have been evacuated. The evacuation process is in progress and by the late evening another 13,650 would be shifted to safe places. The total evacuation would come to 37,755 by Tuesday night. The details are as follows:
Thatta: Out of the 13,000 vulnerable population of Keti Bandar 6000 have been shifted to seven relief camps.
The vulnerable population of Gora Bari is around 5000, of them 2000 have been evacuated and housed at three camps.
Sujawal: Sujawal has 36,560 vulnerable population of them 2578 have been shifted to 10 camps. Jati has 9027 people prone to the storm, of them 3027 have been evacuated and settled at four camps. Similarly, out of the 7936 vulnerable population of Kharochan, 3000 have been shifted.
Badin: Shaheed Fazel Rahu has 11000 vulnerable population of them 6500 have been shifted to eight camps. Out of the 2500 vulnerable population of Badin taluka, 1000 have been shifted.
Latest cyclonic storm situation: Commissioner Karachi Iqbal Memon briefing the chief minister said that the Severe Cyclonic Storm (BIPARJOY) over the Northeast Arabian Sea has further moved north-northwestward.
The cyclonic storm lies about 410km south of Karachi, and 400km south of Thatta. The sustained surface winds are 150-160 Km/hour gusts with 180 Km/hour around the system center and sea conditions are phenomenal around the system center with a maximum wave height of 30 feet. The environmental conditions (sea surface temperature of 29-30°C, low vertical wind shear & upper-level divergence) are in support to sustain its strength through the forecast period.
Under the existing upper-level steering winds, the VSCS “BIPARJOY” is most likely to track further Northward until the 14 June morning, then recurve Northeastward and cross between Keti Bandar (Southeast Sindh) and Indian Gujarat coast on the 15 June afternoon/evening as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) with packing winds of 100-120 Km/hour gusting 140 km/hour.
With its probable approach to the southeast Sindh coast, widespread wind dust/thunderstorm rain with some very heavy/extremely heavy falls accompanied by squally winds of 80-100Km/hour gusting 120km/hour likely in Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparker, Mirpurkhas & Umerkot districts during 13-17 June.
Dust/thunderstorm-rain with few heavy falls and accompanied by winds of 60-80 Km/hour likely in Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allayar, Shaheed Benazirabad & Sanghar districts from 14 -16 June.
Storm surge of 3-3.5 meters (8-12 feet) is expected at the land falling point (Keti Bandar and around) which can inundate the low-lying settlements.
Sea conditions along the Sindh coast may get very rough to high (2-2.5 meters) accompanied and rough to very rough (2 meters) along the Balochistan coast (Sonmiani, Hub, Kund Malir. Ormara and surroundings).
