Cyclone Biparjoy: CAA issues alert for Karachi airport

KARACHI: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Wednesday issued an alert for Jinnah International Airport Karachi after Cyclone Biparjoy, currently approaching the coastal regions of Pakistan and India, is expected to strengthen into an “extremely severe cyclonic storm” within the next 24 hours, ARY News reported on Sunday.

The CAA has directed for taking steps to address an emergency situation and to tackle the strong winds during the cyclone.

“All concerned authorities are advised to remain vigilant and take precautionary measures during the forecast period,” reads the circular issued by the aviation authority.

The CAA has issued instructions for adding surplus weight with fixed-wing small aircraft and rotary wing (helicopters), Airport Manager said.

The electrical department has been ordered to repair broken wires ahead of the bad weather and to keep the beacon lights at the airport’s control tower and other high-rise buildings in good shape.

‘Cyclone to bring heavy rains’

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm biparjoy over east-central Arabian Sea will generate widespread wind-dust/thunderstorm rain with some very heavy to extremely heavy falls with ferocious winds in Sindh’s coastal districts from June 13-17.

Sindh’s Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparker and Umerkot districts will receive heavy to extremely heavy rain fall during 13-17 June accompanied with squally winds of 80-100Km/hour, Met Office warned.

With its probable approach to the southeast Sindh coast, the cyclonic storm with dust/thunderstorm-rain with few heavy falls and accompanied with severe winds of 60-80 Km/hour likely in Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar and Mirpurkhas districts from 13/14 June to June 16.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) in its forecast located the cyclone near latitude 18.1°N and longitude 67.5°E, and said the system is “likely to keep tracking further in the north-northeast direction during next 24 hours”.

The PMD added that the cyclone will then recurve northeastward on June 14 and cross between Keti Bandar (southeast Sindh) and the Indian Gujarat coast on 15 June afternoon as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS).