The Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm (ESCS), which is expected to impact Sindh’s coastal districts on June 13 (Tuesday), has been dubbed Cyclone Biparjoy, prompting the National Disaster Management Authority to declare a “high alert” situation for coastal areas. Cyclone Biparjoy has been described as “unpredictable yet categorized as high intensity” by climate minister Sherry Rehman. While “panic is counterproductive,” the minister wrote on Twitter that “caution and preparation is preferable than being caught unawares.” One can’t help but concur with her.
On the evening or night of June 13 (Tuesday) through June 16 (Friday), the Met Department has predicted that Karachi and other cities in Sindh will experience heavy rain. Through appropriate government-run efforts, the most vulnerable groups, the fishing communities along the coast, need to be made aware that this may be a serious problem. The NDMA has requested that local awareness campaigns be conducted by the authorities in order to warn coastal communities to stay away from the shorelines, especially fishermen trying to reach the open sea.
The harshest effects of climate change were just recently felt in Sindh and Balochistan, which also exposed how ill equipped we are for such catastrophic disasters. Due to its coastal location, Karachi will be affected by climate change; however, instead of taking action to mitigate its effects, the city has over the years seen unplanned and irresponsible ‘development,’ with the authorities carrying out reclamation and dredging along the coast without any consideration for the disaster they are inviting.
The congested water supply and detrimental effects it has had on the drainage system are the immediate effects of reclamation, which also includes the sale of the shoreline for large-scale residential and commercial constructions. Because the mangrove ecosystems that provide some form of defense have been destroyed, any cyclone-related natural disasters will cause more damage. The most vulnerable will be hurt the hardest in this situation as coastal settlements flood as a result of soil erosion brought on by dredging.
We have a horrible situation if we add a tropical storm to this. Even though most of these coastal regions will become untenable as a result of climate change, the city continues to expand there and even reclaims more ground. The time for immediate action has come, and the government must prioritize environmental health over development initiatives.
There aren’t many nations in the world that take their responsibility to the planet seriously, but that doesn’t mean we should act in a similar way. Our coastlines, including cities like Karachi, may become untenable within a generation or two, but we show no urgency in preventing this impending catastrophe or developing measures to deal with it. For the time being, the city and provincial governments in Sindh must be completely ready for any potential harm brought on not just by Cyclone Biparjoy but also, should it move away from our coastline, by the powerful winds and heavy rain that are anticipated anyway.
