KARACHI – The cyclone Biparjoy racing towards Karachi has led to rumors regarding the closure of Karachi International Airport, however, an official clarification has cleared the air.
A spokesperson from the Civil Aviation Authority confirmed on Wednesday that the Jinnah International Airport in the southern metropolis would not be shut in the backdrop of the cyclone.
The spokesperson added that the pilots and crew are informed about the climate and weather conditions as part of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on a regular basis based on which they make decisions about landing and taking off.
‘The pilots and the airline management have already been informed of the expected disruption of flight schedule in the wake of weather conditions,’ the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, many parts of Karachi have received rain which turned the weather pleasant though the residents faced some difficulties.
As far as tropical cyclone Biparjoy is concerned, it continues to move north and is set to make landfall near Pakistan and India on Thursday.
As of June 14, the distance of cyclone Biparjoy has further reduced to 350 kilometers and its distance from Thatha remains around 340 kilometers.
In a recent update, Met Office said the tropical cyclone has weakened into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) Category 3, and heavy rains are expected from today (Wednesday). Thatta, Badin, Sajawal, Tharparkar, Karachi, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Hyderabad, Ormara, Tando Allah Yar, and Tando Mohammad Khan, are some high-risk areas, and coastal areas may receive 300 to 400 mm rain.
Meanwhile, many people living in coastal towns left their homes as the Pakistan army, navy, rangers, and local authorities started moving masses to shelters and relief camps.
The provincial government has released Rs80 million for the cyclone victims, which will be used to establish tent settlements, food, boat facility, and drainage.
Why is the cyclone named ‘Biparjoy’?
Since names are thought to be far simpler to recall than numbers and technical terminology, the practice of naming storms (tropical cyclones) first emerged years ago to aid in the quick identification of storms in warning messages. Many people concur that giving storms names facilitates media coverage of tropical cyclones, sparks public interest in warnings, and improves community preparation.
The use of short, unique given names in written and spoken communications has shown to be speedier and less prone to mistake than the more laborious and antiquated latitude-longitude identification techniques. These benefits are particularly significant when transmitting precise storm data across hundreds of widely dispersed stations, coastal bases, and ships at sea.
Tropical cyclones in South Asia are assigned names by a group called the Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC). Thirteen countries made up the panel to name cyclones.
The names to be used will be taken from the list below, starting with Nisarga, then Gati, Nivar, etc.
