Cyclone ‘Asna’ spares Pakistan coast as it moves 200 kms away

It appears that cyclone ‘Asna’ has spared Karachi as after moving 100 kilometers closer to the port city, it has moved 200 kilometers away; but still, the city and other coastal areas and those near them are expected to receive torrential rains, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday.

According to the sixth alert issued by the Meteorological Department, despite the fact that the storm is now moving in a westerly direction, heavy rains are still likely to lash the city as well as Tharparkar, Thatta, and Sajawal; three cities which will be impacted by the storm the most.  

Showers have also been predicted for Mirpurkhas, Umarkot and Sanghar.   

On the other hand, downpours have been reported from across the province, inundating villages and severing power supply.

Director General Met Office Sahibzada Khan has said that winds, accompanying the rain, may be devastating for the weak infrastructure.

He has said that it is after 60 years that the storm has developed so close to the coastal areas of Sind. 

He has described the rising sea temperatures as a worrying sign.

According to the latest Met Office advisory, the Cyclonic Storm (CS) “ASNA” (Pronounced as As-Na) over northeast Arabian Sea off Sindh coast has moved further westward during past 9 hours and now lies at around Latitude 23.6 N & Longitude 65.7 E at a distance of about 200km southwest of Karachi, 220km south-southeast of Ormara and 380km southeast of Gwadar. The system is likely to track further west-southwestwards.

Under its influence, rain-thundershowers with few heavy falls and accompanied with squally winds (60-70Km/hour gusting 80Km/hour) has hit Karachi division while Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Hyderabad, TM Khan, TA Yar, Matiari, Jamshoro and Dadu districts of Sindh will also receive heavy rains today evening/night and same is the case in Hub, Lasbella, Awaran,Keach and Gwadar districts of Balochistan till tomorrow night.

Heavy rains may create water logging in low-lying areas of Makran coast, the Met Office said.

Sea conditions are likely to remain rough/very rough with squally winds of 60-70 km/hour gusting 80Km/hour. Fishermen of Sindh are advised not to venture into sea today and those of Balochistan till tomorrow.

Flash floods feared in Balochistan, urban flooding in Sindh

Similar weather conditions have been forecast for Hub, Lasbella, Awaran, Kech, and Gwadar districts in Balochistan until September 1.

The Met Office has warned that heavy rains may cause waterlogging in low-lying areas along the Makran coast.

Flash floods have been predicted for the hilly areas of Dera Ghazi Khan and local nullahs and streams of Karachi, Hyderabad, Dadu, Kalat, Khuzdar, Jaffarabad, Sibbi, Naseerabad, Barkhan, Loralai, Awaran, Panjgur, Washuk, Mastung and Lasbella.

The weather department has said that sea conditions are likely to remain “rough/very rough”, and has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea till August 31 and those of Balochistan till September 1.

“PMD’s cyclone warning center, Karachi is closely monitoring the system and will issue the update accordingly. The concerned authorities are requested to keep them abreast through PMD advisory,” the statement added.

On the other hand, the PMD DG has said, "Our country is receiving more than usual downpours due to this cyclone. Upper areas of the country will experience more rain from September 2 to 4."

The DG has also said that the weather conditions will improve in southern areas of the country after two days.

Floods wreak havoc in Sindh, Balochistan

Meanwhile, the situation with respect to floods in different parts of Sindh and Balochistan has worsened.

People suffer aftereffects of flood in Suhbatpur

Although the worst is over in Suhbatpur, Balochistan as far as floods are concerned; still, they have left a trail of destruction behind, as locals are finding it hard to reach their homes which still lie submerged.

The water accumulated in homes and on roads could lead to the spread of different diseases in the area.

People have to wade through knee-deep water to get water and other essential items.

The affected people have appealed to the government to ensure drainage of water from their homes.

Water enters more villages in Sakrand, Nawabshah

In Sakrand, Nawabshah, water from the River Indus, which was in medium flood till last reports came in, has entered 10 more villages, while over 50 villages in the adjoining katcha area have also been inundated, forcing people from their homes and severing road links.

Rains leave Umarkot completely submerged

Incessant rains have turned the city of Umarkot and the suburban towns and cities into a pond of water.

Flood wreaks havoc in Johi, Dadu

The situation is no different in Johi, Dadu where the people have been forced to leave their homes after floodwater entered the village, Sher Muhammad Talpure, inundating fields, destroying people’s homes, and washing away their animals.

Locals have appealed to the local administration to start relief and rescue operation in their area.

It rains cats and dogs in Karachi, other Sindh cities

There are reports of heavy rain and strong winds from different localities of the mega-city, including Saddar, Clifton, Kala Pul, Hawkes Bay, Marripur Road, Lyari, Garden, Malir, Mwach Goth, Mehmoodabad, Defence Housing Authority, Shaheed-e-Millat Road, Tariq Road, Bahadurabad, Tipu Sultan Road, Sharae Faisal, Shah Faisal, Drig Road, Airport, New Karachi, Nazimabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Model Colony. 

Winds are blowing in the city at a speed between 60 to 70 kilometers, turning the weather extremely pleasant and making Karachiites feel as if they are living in Murree.

One more person injured due to fall of tree dies

One more person, who had been wounded after a tree fell on him in Block-16 of the Federal B. Area on Friday, has died.

People continue to flout Section 144

Showing complete disregard for the authorities’ efforts to ensure that no harm is caused to any person from the storm, people of the city continue to violate Section 144 by thronging the beach in large numbers.

Karachi Port Trust issues warning

Meanwhile, the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) has put all departmental staff at the Karachi port on a high alert, saying that necessary steps should be taken to prevent any untoward incident.

The spokesman for the KPT has directed that all ships should be anchored. 

Rains leave Khairpur Nathan Shah drenched

Similarly, persistent rains have left Khairpur Nathan Shah completely flooded; creating great inconvenience for the residents of the city.

However, despite the imposition of a rain emergency, the administration has yet to come to the people’s rescue. 

On the other hand, locals have voiced their concern that due to weak embankments, the city risks getting flooded for the third time.

200 tourists from Kumrat rescued

The spokesman of Tourism and Culture Authority Govt of KP has said that 200 tourists stranded in Kumrat Valley in Dir Upper district has been safely rescued on Saturday.

He said the tourists rescued from Dojangla, Kala Chesma and Abshar were assembled at Grand Palace hotel from where they would be shifted to Kalam.

Talking to APP, he said that food and other services were being provided to all the rescued tourists.

The spokesman said that police and district administration are providing full support in the rescue operation. These tourists were stranded after blockage of roads due to heavy rainfalls at Kumrat Dir Upper.

Reporters: Ashraf Khan, Aima Khan, Faran Khan, Baseem Iftikhar, Syed Noman Gul, Mumtaz Jamali, Haider Khanzada, Amin Diplai, Kamran Korai, Fayyaz Jaffery