The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warned on Thursday that a potential cyclone, which developed over the Rann of Kutch in India, is expected to emerge along Sindh's coast late Thursday or Friday morning.
The deep depression over Rann of Kutch, India, has moved slowly west-southwest towards Pakistan during the last 12 hours and now lies around 270 kilometres east/southeast of Karachi. The system is likely to move west/southwestwards and emerge into the northeast Arabian Sea along Sindh's coast by late night or Friday morning.
Due to favourable environmental conditions, sea surface temperature, low/moderate vertical wind shear and upper-level divergence, the system will likely intensify further into a Cyclonic Storm (CS) by Friday and move initially in a west/southwest direction.
Under its influence, widespread rain/wind-thunderstorms with scattered heavy-very heavy to isolated extremely heavy falls are likely in Tharparker, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Hyderabad, Tandu Muhammad Khan, Tandu Allah Yar, Matiari, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Jamshoro, Dadu, and Shaheed Benazirabad districts and Karachi division until August 31 with occasional gaps.
Sea conditions will likely remain rough or very rough, with stormy winds of 50-60 km/hour.
The fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea until August 31.
Sindh's coastal areas have already reported heavy rain since Tuesday evening.
Rains started around 10 pm on Tuesday night and continued on Wednesday in different coastal areas of Thatta, Sujawal, and Badin districts. As a result, several areas, including residential, agricultural, and urban areas, were inundated.
The intermittent moderate to heavy rainfall for the past three days had unleashed a trail of destruction in the coastal districts. Locals claimed that as many as 36 thatched houses in different coastal villages of Taluka Ghorabari, Keti Bunder, Shahbunder, and Bagan had caved in, moreover, straw roofs of several houses had blown away due to fierce winds.
The rain and blustery winds damaged solar panels worth millions in different areas of the district. Paddy crops cultivated in Junghshai, Jhumpir, Var, and other areas of District Thatta were also inundated following the continuous downpour, resulting in a deluge.
On Thursday, the meteorological department and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported that Mirpurkhas had received 143 millimetres of rain in a single day, creating a local record, and inundating the area.
Sindh CM claims situation under control
After torrential rains battered the coastal areas of Sindh ahead of an impending cyclone, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah visited affected parts of Thatta and Sujawal on Wednesday, directing the relevant authorities to take swift and necessary measures to rehabilitate the rain-affected people.
Speaking to the media during his visit, Shah said a strong system of torrential rains ravaged Bangladesh and India and had now reached the coastal areas of Sindh. He noted that Tharparkar had borne the brunt of heavy rainfall this year, while Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Umerkot, and Nawabshah were likely to face the storm's fury as well. He added that districts on the other end of the River Indus were also facing threats from heavy rainfall.
"In case of additional rainfall, it will be a Herculean task to drain water, particularly from the urban areas of the province," Shah warned.
The provincial chief executive said ministers had been entrusted with monitoring rain-related measures in different districts and overseeing evacuation and relief measures.
Talking about efforts to rehouse people affected by the 2022 super-floods, Shah said that the government had launched a scheme to provide some 200,000 rain—and flood-proof structures across Sindh, including in Sujawal and Thatta districts.
He also shared the desire of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to provide instant relief to Sindh's rain-affected population.
"The situation across Sindh is well under control," he claimed, adding that heavy rain has been forecast for Sindh for the next 48 hours. He directed the district administration to evacuate the affected people to safe places.
Provincial Minister Ali Hassan Zardari and others briefed the CM about the preventive measures taken by the authorities in Thatta and Sujawal. The CM also inspected construction work on a bridge in Gharo.
Threat of GLOFs
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has indicated that there is a threat to local communities in northern areas of Pakistan from glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), flash floods, and landslides in various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).
The PMD said a westerly wave would likely affect GB and KP from August 29 onwards.
Under the influence of this weather system, the likelihood of GLOF events, flash floods, and landslides increased in the Nagar, Gilgit, and Astore districts of GB and the mountainous Chitral/Dir districts in KP.
Moreover, moderate to heavy rainfall with wind/thunderstorms is expected in isolated areas with occasional gaps.
PMD advised the district administration, relevant local organisations, and communities to remain vigilant and observe precautionary measures to avoid untoward situations.