Cyclone Biparjoy weakens into depression, rain expected in parts of Sindh today

Cyclone Biparjoy — which hit India’s Gujarat coast near the border with Pakistan on Thursday — weakened into a depression by Saturday morning, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said, declaring it safe for fishermen in Balochistan to venture into the sea starting today and for those in Sindh from tomorrow. Biparjoy, which means “calamity” in Bengali, had hit the state of Gujarat with speeds of up to 125 kph, blowing roofs off houses and uprooting trees and electricity poles. At least six people were reported dead in India in events pertaining to the cyclone before it made landfall. Meanwhile, Pakistan was largely spared of the storm’s effects and no deaths were reported here. However, water levels did increase in some coastal areas. In both countries, more than 180,000 people fled the path of Biparjoy as authorities moved to evacuate citizens from vulnerable areas. According to an earlier update by the PMD, Biparjoy had came ashore as a Category 1 cyclone at landfall after being Category 3 in the Arabian Sea. It had moved further northeastward from Rann of Kutch in India and Tharparkar in Pakistan over the last 12 hours, the PMD said in its latest update today morning, adding that it had converted into a depression and was now lying over southwest Rajasthan in India and Tharparkar in Pakistan. “The associated maximum sustained surface winds are [blowing at] 30-40km/hour, gusting 50km/hour,” the PMD said, forecasting that the weather system would likely move further eastward and weaken into a low-pressure area over Rajasthan. Under the impacts of this weather system, the PMD predicted more rain and thunderstorms, with few heavy falls accompanied by gusty winds of speed 30-40km/hour in Tharparkar, Umerkot and parts of Badin districts today. Moreover, rain and thunderstorms were also expected in Thatta, Sujawal and Mirpurkhas districts, the forecast said. Fishermen of Balochistan can resume their activities from today and those of Sindh from tomorrow, according to the PMD. According to the Met Office, Nagarparkar and Mithi districts in Sindh received the highest amount of rainfall during the last 24 hours, recorded at 269mm and 196mm, respectively. Screengrab taken from PMD’s website. Life returns to normal Earlier, as life began returning to normal in Sindh following the dissipation of Biparjoy, authorities in Karachi lifted the ban on going into the open sea. In Thatta, around 50 kilometres inland, shops and markets gradually reopened under drizzling skies and a cool ocean breeze. In the fishing port of Keti Bandar — forecast to be hardest hit by the storm — few shops had opened on Friday as intruding seawater started receding. Fishermen, too, gradually started returning to their bamboo-made abodes near the jetty in Keti Bandar, though after paying an economical cost and losing several days of their fishing-based income. Damages in India’s Gujarat Meanwhile, some 1,500 villages were still without electricity in India’s Gujarat, officials said on Saturday, as coastal areas recovered from the impact of Cyclone Biparjoy. In many villages, power had been cut off as a precautionary measure to avert any dangerous incidents during the storm, Gujarat Energy Secretary Mamta Verma told Reuters. Heavy rains forecast for Saturday continued to lash northern districts of the state, causing flooding. However, ports along the coastline including Pipavav Port and Kandla Port said they had resumed operations, while the Adani owned Mundra Port was due to restart operations from Saturday evening. The storm caused extensive damage, especially to power infrastructure, uprooting thousands of electricity poles and damaging overhead power lines. “Our teams are working on the ground to restore electricity supply and supply of drinking water. Repairing of damaged roads and other physical infrastructure is also being undertaken on a priority basis,” said Kamal Dayani, Gujarat’s revenue secretary. More than 700 homes in the eight coastal districts of Gujarat suffered full or partial damage, according to the state government.