Daily Times

Section 144 was imposed Saturday with entry to the beaches banned in Karachi, as the threat of the Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) “Birparjoy” has increased, a notification by the Karachi Commissioner mentioned.

The city’s administration has banned fishing, sailing, swimming, and bathing at seas within the territorial limit of Karachi owing to the threat from June 11 till the “end of the storm.” The notification read that the decision had been taken to avoid any untoward incident of shipwreck or drowning.

Meanwhile, the PMD has also warned all concerned authorities and advised them to remain “alert” during the forecast period. The notification comes as the cyclone over the east-central Arabian Sea maintains its intensity, further tracking northeastward during the past 12 hours, and now lies near Latitude 15.5°N and Longitude 66.3°E at a distance of about 1,040 kilometres south of Karachi, 1,020 kilometres south of Thatta and 1,110 kilometres southeast of Ormara, the Met Office stated.

In case of violation of the orders, the deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners concerned have been authorised to take action in coordination with the concerned senior superintendent of police in the city. The violators will be booked under section 188 PPC. According to PMD, maximum sustained surface winds are 120 to 130 kilometres per hour with gusts of 150 kilometres per hour around the system center. The favourable environmental conditions (sea surface temperature of 30°C to 32°C, low vertical wind shear, and upper-level divergence) are still supporting the system to intensify further. “Owing to shift in upper-level steering winds, the uncertainty in global models forecast of Biparjoy track still persists with some taking it to Oman- Pakistan Makran coast and others indicating towards Indian Gujarat-Pakistan Sindh coast,” Karachi’s Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre mentioned.