As Cyclone Biparjoy approaches, India and Pakistan are preparing for the first severe cyclone of the year, with rescue personnel being deployed and evacuation plans being announced for those in vulnerable areas.
Fishing activities have been suspended to minimize damage, and authorities are on high alert. The storm, which is expected to land on Thursday, will move from the Arabian Sea and is headed for Pakistan’s southern Sindh province and the coastline of India’s western state, Gujarat. The Pakistan Meteorological Department predicts that the cyclone could reach maximum wind speeds of up to 200 kph (124 mph).
Disaster management personnel have been dispatched to densely populated regions and cities in the cyclone’s path, including Karachi in Pakistan, and the two of India’s largest ports, Mundra and Kandla, in Gujarat state.
Authorities estimate that up to 80,000 people living in coastal areas of Sindh province may need to be evacuated to ensure their safety. Murad Ali Shah, the top elected official in Sindh province, has visited the area and instructed authorities to complete evacuation plans urgently.
Officials at a meeting in Karachi informed Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik, the head of the National Disaster Management Authority, that the cyclone was located approximately 600 kilometers (300 miles) south of Karachi as of Monday afternoon.
To ensure the safety of residents, all relevant departments in Sindh and Balochistan provinces have been placed on high alert, according to Sherry Rehman, the Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination.
The Civil Aviation Authority in Pakistan has urged airport officials to take immediate steps to secure aircraft and cargo to minimize damage from the approaching storm.
This is the first severe cyclone expected to affect Pakistan since last year’s devastating floods, which resulted in the deaths of 1,739 people and losses of $30 billion.
The Indian army, navy, and coast guard are lending a hand with preparations in Gujarat, and the state’s Chief Minister, Bhupendra Patel, tweeted that they are taking necessary measures, including evacuating people living in low-lying regions.
A meeting was convened by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi with senior officials to assess the country’s disaster preparedness.
According to specialists, the escalating occurrence of cyclones in the Arabian Sea region resulting from climate change makes it crucial to expedite preparations for natural disasters.
Raghu Murtugudde, an Earth system scientist at the University of Maryland, stated that climate change has already caused the ocean to warm up.
A recent study showed that the Arabian Sea has experienced a rise in temperature of about 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) since March this year, creating conducive conditions for severe cyclones.
According to a study conducted in 2021, there has been a significant increase in the frequency, duration, and intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea from 1982 to 2019.
U.N. climate reports have highlighted that in a warmer climate, the intensity of tropical cyclones will increase. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2019 report revealed that the Indian Ocean experienced the fastest warming of the sea surface since the 1950s.
Abid Qaiyum Suleri, an executive director of Islamabad-based Sustainable Development Policy Institute, and a member of Pakistan’s Climate Change Council stated that in the era of climate change, natural disasters such as cyclones would increase and cannot be avoided.
Hence, it is crucial to have better disaster preparation plans and policies, especially for South Asia’s large coastal cities like Karachi, Mumbai, Dhaka and Colombo. This will be crucial in making the difference between life and death.
The devastating Cyclone Tauktae that hit the same region in 2021 serves as a reminder of the destructive power of cyclones.
It claimed the lives of 174 people and caused damage worth more than $1.57 billion.
The impact of this deadly cyclone on infrastructure, livelihoods, and communities underscores the urgency of implementing effective disaster response plans and climate action measures. Without swift action, the region could be exposed to similar, or even more severe, natural disasters in the future.