Pakistani authorities on Monday began evacuating more than 80,000 people from the area threatened by a cyclone this week, which forecasts say could bring winds up to 120 km/h.
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Cyclone Biparjoy, currently in the Arabian Sea, is expected to hit the coasts of India and Pakistan in the coming days.
Coastal communities in Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh could witness sea-level rises of up to 3.5 meters, likely inundating lower-lying areas, and rainfall of up to 30 cm.
Syed Murad Ali Shah, the head of government for Sindh province, announced that the army had been asked to help evacuate “more than 80,000 vulnerable people”.
“We’re not going to ask people to leave, we’re going to demand it,” he told reporters. The evacuation order was spread on social networks, mosques and radio stations.
According to a spokesman for Shah, around 2,000 people have already been evacuated from the area around Shah Bandar, a fishing village surrounded by mangroves in the Indus Delta.
The Pakistan Meteorological Service (PMD) has warned that traditional houses with mud walls and thatched roofs may not withstand strong winds.
But in the village of Haji Ibrahim near Shah Bandar, people were not so easily persuaded to leave. “Our boats, our goats and our camels are all we have,” recalls Abu Bakar, a 20-year-old fisherman.
“But if the danger is imminent, we must go to save our lives,” he admitted.
Karachi, home to nearly 20 million people, is also expected to be hit by dust storms and thunderstorms with winds reaching 80 km/h.
According to the Indian Weather Service, the storm is expected to hit the state of Gujarat in western India on Thursday, where it will reach wind speeds of up to 150 km/h.
Heavy rains and high winds killed at least 27 people, including eight children, in north-west Pakistan on Saturday, with most of the deaths attributed to collapsing buildings.