Before Cyclone Biparjoy arrived, more than 64,000 residents in coastal towns in Thatta, Sujawal, and Badin districts were relocated to safer areas.
According to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, Biparjoy was in the Arabian Sea on Wednesday morning, 350 kilometres (292 miles) south of Karachi, the capital of Sindh province.
According to the Sindh government, 13,000 people have been evacuated from Keti Bander, 9000 people from Badin, 8300 people from low-lying parts of Sujawal, and 1900 people from Shaheed Fazil Rahu taluka have been relocated to safer areas.
Furthermore, local authorities said that 8,300 people were evacuated from Shahbandar and Sujawar, as well as 5,000 from Jati and Gharo.
Cyclone Biparjoy, which has now weakened to a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm in the Arabian Sea, is expected to make landfall between Sindh and India’s Gujarat coast on Thursday afternoon or evening.
Cyclone Biparjoy was 340 kilometres south-southwest of Karachi, 355 kilometres south-southwest of Thatta, and 275 kilometres south-southwest of Keti Bandar, according to the Met Office.
Maximum continuous surface winds are 150-160 km/h with gusts up to 180 km/h around the system centre, and sea conditions are spectacular with a maximum wave height of 30 feet.
Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to recurve north-northeastward and cross between Keti Bandar (Southeast Sindh) and the Indian Gujarat coast on 15 June afternoon/evening as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm with packing winds of 100-120 km/h gusting 140 km/h.