Coastal towns and cities in India and Pakistan are on high alert as a rare August cyclone threatens their shores. The unusual weather event, marked by heavy rains and strong winds, has forced authorities to take precautionary measures, including school closures and evacuations.
India’s weather office reported that a deep depression formed over land and is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm by Friday evening. The storm is anticipated to move northwest over the Arabian Sea in the coming days. The rare occurrence of a cyclone during August, the first in decades, has raised concerns among residents and officials.
In Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, schools were closed, and the city experienced heavy rainfall. Similarly, schools in Kutch district, located in India’s Gujarat state, were shut down due to the inclement weather.
The unusual nature of the storm, forming over land before moving towards the sea, has been a topic of discussion. Ashok Kumar Das, head of the Indian Meteorological Department in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, explained, “Cyclone formation generally takes place over sea and then it moves over to land. This type of system is unusual because it formed over land and is now moving towards the sea.”
Tragically, three more people lost their lives in Gujarat overnight due to rain-related incidents, bringing the total death toll this week to 31. Authorities have evacuated over 8,700 people from ten districts in the state over the past 24 hours. “There is severe water logging in several places in Kutch district due to heavy rains over the last couple of days. We evacuated people from coastal areas and shifted them to schools and other facilities,” said Amit Arora, district collector of Kutch.
Both Das and Arora believe that the impact of the cyclonic storm will likely diminish as it moves from land to sea. “Wind speeds have fallen to 40-50 kmph,” Arora added.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring Pakistan, authorities have issued warnings of potential urban flooding and flash floods in rural areas due to the heavy rains. Citizens have been urged to stay indoors. Both countries have advised fishermen against venturing out to sea.
Karachi received a significant amount of rainfall overnight, with parts of the city recording 147 mm (5.79 inches). Murtaza Wahab, the city’s mayor, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to advise residents to avoid unnecessary travel.
As the cyclone progresses, authorities in both India and Pakistan continue to monitor the situation closely and are taking necessary steps to ensure the safety and well-being of their citizens.
