Evacuated and displaced in Pakistan as an intense cyclone is approaching

15-06-2023

Julija Stavar

Pakistan Human Rights Researcher, 

Global Human Rights Defence.

A very severe cyclonic storm, Biparjoy, is expected to hit the coast of Pakistan and India on Thursday, June 15th. One day before the cyclone is expected to make landfall, tens of thousands are being evacuated. In Pakistan, almost 100,000 locals have been taken to safer locations and 39 relief camps were already established (Pakistan Today, 2023). Several government buildings and schools have been converted into shelters for all the displaced people in the southern coastal regions (Al Jazeera, 2023b). These are the same regions that last summer were affected by the devastating floods that displaced many. Moreover, some traditional mud and straw homes, which usually house the poorest in Pakistan, are very vulnerable to destruction (Al Jazeera, 2023a). Many vulnerable livelihoods will be adversely affected by the cyclone if they will lose houses, boats or livestocks on which they depend.

The country’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, chaired a meeting on the preparedness ahead of the potential impact of the Biparjoy cyclone, asking Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and other similar organisations to set up mobile hospitals and ensure adequate emergency medical assistance in the coastal areas (Pakistan Today, 2023). In addition, special arrangements for clean drinking water and food should be provided for all displaced people (Pakistan Today, 2023). Also the World Health Organization mobilised its partners in the health sector to initiate a preparedness and response plan ahead of the storm (Pakistan Today, 2023).

Sources and further readings:

Al Jazeera. (2023a, June 12). Pakistan to evacuate 80,000 people ahead of Cyclone Biparjoy. Al Jazeera. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/12/high-alert-as-cyclone-biparjoy-approaches-india-pakistan-coasts?traffic_source=KeepReading 

Al Jazeera. (2023b, June 14). Thousands evacuated as India, Pakistan brace for Cyclone Biparjoy. Al Jazeera. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2023/6/14/thousands-evacuated-as-india-pakistan-brace-for-cyclone-biparjoy?traffic_source=KeepReading 

Pakistan Today. (2023, June 15). Action plan in place as Biperjoy likely to hit Pakistan’s coast today. Pakistan Today. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2023/06/15/action-plan-in-place-as-biperjoy-hits-pakistans-coast-tomorrow/