The climate threat|The giant cyclone Biparjoy

Klimathotet|Jättecyklonen Biparjoy

Person in Pakistan's coastal city of Golarchi being evacuated ahead of the cyclone. Umair Rajput / AP 

The climate threat|The giant cyclone Biparjoy 

Growing concern before the storm: "People are very scared"  

 

Cyclone Biparjoy, which is expected to hit India and Pakistan on Thursday, has the potential to cause "extensive damage", according to the countries' weather institutes. Tens of thousands of people have already been evacuated from risk areas along the coastlines. 

 

- I have never experienced winds like this in my life. People are very afraid, says Leela Ram Kohli, a resident of Badin district in southern Pakistan, according to CNN.  

 

A warmer ocean increases the risk of more and more intense cyclones, according to scientists. A study from 2021 shows that this is already a fact in the Arabian Sea. 

 

- The ocean has become warmer as a result of climate change, says Raghu Murtugudde, researcher at the University of Maryland, to AP.  

 

Children are evacuated from Badin district in Pakistan. Umair Rajput / AP  

 

Tens of thousands are evacuated - waves of three meters are expected 

 

The powerful cyclone Biparjoy is expected to hit coastal cities in Pakistan and India on Thursday. Tens of thousands of people are in the process of being evacuated from vulnerable areas and many schools and public buildings in Pakistan have been converted into temporary emergency accommodation.  

 

In India, roads along the west coast are expected to be flooded, crops damaged and houses destroyed. 

 

- The cyclone is expected to create waves of two to three meters at the same time that large amounts of rain will fall, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, at India's weather authority, told Reuters.  

 

Four people have so far died in incidents related to the cyclone, including three boys who drowned off the coast of Bombay and a woman who was killed in an accident caused by strong winds in Gujarat.