Amid cyclone Biparjoy inching towards Pakistan’s coastal areas, authorities said on Wednesday that heaving rains could disrupt mobile phone services.

The warned came as the cyclone, named Biparjoy, is expected to make landfall on Thursday afternoon between Mandvi in Gujarat and Karachi in Pakistan with a maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135km (78-84 miles) per hour, gusting to 150 km per hour.

Sindh health department said there was a risk of mobile network shutting down during the rains. Authorities have evacuated thousands of people from vulnerable areas.

The health department has alerted all medical facilities and doctors, directing people to stay indoors, as heavy to very heavy rains (60mm-100mm) could hit the province.

The department further said that traffic jams might occur on main roads due to poor drainage conditions. There were also fears that the roads might be blocked due to rainwater, the department added.

The people were also advised to avoid going near poles and electricity wires. It said in emergency situations people could call 1092. Similarly, fishermen in the costal belt of the southern areas had been advised against going to sea, and those at sea had been called back. 

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), cyclones hit Pakistan in Balochistan in May 1901, Karachi in May 1902, June 1906, and June 1907. Meanwhile, the September 1926 storm had moved from Indian Gujarat into Pakistan.

There was a cyclone in June and July 1936, while in July 1944, some 10,000 people were left homeless in Karachi. One cyclone in June 1948 impacted the region. In June 1964, Tharparkar and Hyderabad were affected by a hurricane that killed 450 people and left some 400,000 people homeless.

During a cyclone in Karachi on 15 December 1965, the damage was estimated at $4.1 million and claimed about 10,000 lives. The 1970 East-Pakistan cyclone left half a million inhabitants dead. The May 1985 cyclonic storm was moving towards Karachi but had weakened over the sea while still a few 100 kilometers away from Pakistan’s port city.

The November 1993 hurricane had dissipated near the Sindh-Gujarat border. However, it caused massive rainfall and flooding in Karachi. Archives reveal Karachi, Thatta, Keti Bandar, and Badin districts were the worst affected as the cyclone had killed 609 people and displaced some 200,000 humans.

The June 1998 hurricane struck Gujarat in India, while the cyclone electrocuted 12 people in Pakistan. In May 1999, a storm struck Keti Bandar shores, killing 6,200 people. In May 2001, more than 100,000 people were evacuated from southeastern Pakistan due to the threat of a powerful typhoon in the Arabian Sea.

In June 2007, cyclone Gonu brought heavy rainfall and strong winds to the city of Gwadar. Cyclone Yemyin killed 200 people in Karachi alone on June 24, 2007. In November 2009, cyclone Phyan caused gusty winds along the shores of Karachi. In June 2010, Cyclone Phet led to 370mm rain in Gwadar alone and damaged 10,000 houses.

In May 2021, a typhoon had killed four people in Karachi, while the September 2021 cyclone named Shaheen had produced gusty winds and rainfall in Karachi