KARACHI: The prospect of Karachi receiving torrential rain has decreased as the tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea has moved away from Sindh’s coastal belt.
Speaking to a private channel, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Director Sardar Sarfaraz said there may be moderate to heavy rain in some parts of the city but the deep depression is gradually moving away from Sindh.
He said Balochistan’s coastal belt is still expected to receive torrential rain and the deep depression formed in the Arabian Sea is moving towards the southwest direction. He added that chances of rain in Sindh will diminish by tomorrow and the prospects of urban flooding have also decreased.
Earlier, the Pakistan Meteorological Department has issued another advisory – Alert IV – that a cyclonic storm will develop along the Sindh-Makran coast, causing torrential rains and squally winds in the region.
The Met Office, in its latest advisory issued on Friday morning, said, “Depression over the northeast Arabian Sea moved west-northwestward at a speed of 15km/hr during last 12 hours, concentrated into a Deep Depression and now lies centred near latitude 23.5N and longitude 66.5E, at a distance of about 160 km south-southwest of Karachi, 140km from Thatta and 270km from Ormara.”
The PMD’s alert said the estimated maximum sustained surface wind is 30 – 40Kts and that the sea condition is rough to very rough around the system centre. The Met Office cautioned that the system is likely to strengthen further into a cyclonic storm during the next six hours and move west-northwestwards towards Makran coast.
Keeping in view the situation resulting from expected tropical cyclone & the rainfall, it has been decided that Friday the 1st of October will be a public holiday. All offices, educational institutions & businesses except essential services shall remain remain closed in Karachi
— Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui (@murtazawahab1) September 30, 2021
Local authorities have announced a public holiday in the metropolis due to the cyclone. “Keeping in view the situation resulting from expected tropical cyclone & the rainfall, it has been decided that Friday the 1st of October will be a public holiday,” Sindh government spokesman Murtaza Wahab said on Friday.
He said that all offices, educational institutions and businesses except essential services shall remain closed in Karachi.
Minister for Education Sindh Syed Sardar Shah has announced the closure of all educational institutes across Sindh. Due to the weather forecast predicting heavy rains, educational institutes will remain closed tomorrow, he said, adding that the decision extends to both public and private educational institutes.
