Pakistan “largely spared” as Cyclone Biparjoy weakened after making landfall in India’s Gujarat

Pakistan was “largely spared” as Cyclone Biparjoy weakened into a “severe cyclonic storm” after making landfall in India’s Gujarat, on Friday.

Days into monitoring and taking precautions against Cyclone Biparjoy, the government officially declared that the coastal belt was safe after the passage of Biparjoy.

“The Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) ‘BIPARJOY’ over the northeast Arabian Sea after crossing the Indian Gujarat coast (near Jakhau port) has weakened into a Severe Cyclonic Storm (SCS),” the Met Office notified in its latest advisory.

As a severe cyclone made landfall and rain lashed both the Indian and Pakistani coasts late Thursday, heavy rains and winds leashed the affected areas of India and Pakistan where roofs were blown off houses, and trees and electric poles were uprooted, leaving thousands without power.

Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman on Friday said that the cyclone had completed landfall in India’s Gujarat.

“Pakistan was prepared but largely spared the full force. Sindh’s coastal areas, like Sujawal, were inundated by high sea levels but most people had been evacuated to safe ground,” she added.

The minister also thanked all authorities concerned for a “stellar coordination effort”.

 

According to Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), Cyclone Biparjoy has made landfall along the Indian Gujarat coast near Jakhau port and the Pakistan-India border.

The cyclone is approximately 130 kilometers away from Keti Bandar.

More than 180,000 people were evacuated from India and Pakistan in the last few days from the coastal belt.

In the latest development, Sindh’s coastal residents, who were forced to flee their towns and villages ahead of tropical cyclone Biparjoy’s devastating landfall, are returning to their homes after the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) confirmed that the sea storm has lost its strength significantly.