KARACHI: Cyclone Nilofar gained strength on Tuesday and may hit coastal areas of Pakistan and India on Wednesday night. While it has the potential of causing damage and devastation, it may yield much-awaited rain in the drought-hit Thar region of Sindh.

According to Met officials, the cyclone started developing in the northwest Arabian Sea about a week ago. By Tuesday evening, it was over 1,100km southwest of Karachi and 1,010km south of Gwadar. It will take a ‘curve’ in northeast direction towards coastal areas of lower Sindh and Indian state of Gujarat on Wednesday.

“The cyclone is likely to move northward over the next 24 hours with a speed of five kilometres per hour,” said an advisory issued by the Met office.

“Under the influence of the cyclone, widespread rain and thundershowers with isolated heavy falls accompanied by strong gusty winds are expected in lower Sindh, including Karachi, and coastal areas of Balochistan from Wednesday night to Friday,” it added.

The storm likely to yield much-awaited rain in drought-hit Thar

Other facts shared by chief meteorologist (Karachi) Tausif Alam with Dawn suggested that the cyclone could prove to be a blessing in disguise if it kept moving to the direction forecast and would result in rain in India’s Rann of Kutch and Thar desert in Sindh.

“The cyclone will weaken with the passage of time,” he said, adding that along with heavy rains in coastal areas of Karachi, Badin and Thatta in Sindh and Gwadar in Balochistan, the cyclone could affect the entire belt of Rann of Kutch and Thar desert.

Meanwhile, the Karachi and provincial administrations claimed on Tuesday to have prepared a contingency plan to handle the post-cyclone situation.

The Sindh government has declared an emergency in districts facing the threat of cyclone while the Karachi municipal administration has made arrangements to evacuate people from Mubarak village and Ibrahim Hyderi — fishermen’s neighbourhoods along the city’s coastline.

“Section 144 will remain imposed on beaches till Nov 2 and no-one will be allowed to go to seashores,” Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui said.

“We have also decided to remove all giant and huge billboards as a protective measure. The KMC’s local tax department has been asked to complete the task by Wednesday. The campaign has the backing of the Clifton Cantonment Board,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 29th , 2014