The assistant commissioner of Karachi has announced that educational activities and other related activities would be resumed from tomorrow (Saturday) as the cyclone Biparjoy weakens.

“All educational activities including examinations may be resumed in all educational institutions of Karachi Division by tomorrow ie 17.06.2023,” said the notification issued by Karachi’s Assistant Commissioner Abid Qamar Shaikh on Friday.

The educational activities were suspended on June 13 during the emergent situation of cyclone ‘Biparjoy’. Friday’s decision was taken due to a reduction in the severity of the cyclone and the threat of cyclonic danger for Karachi Division has reduced.

The cyclone Biparjoy has completed landfall on the Indian Gujarat coast and was currently 125km southwest of Keti Bandar, said the National Disaster Management Authority on Friday.

“Biparjoy has weakened from a severe cyclone to a typhoon. While its intensity is likely to decrease further by evening,” said the NDMA.

“Currently, the storm was 145km from Keti Bandar, 169km from Thatta and 230km south-east from Karachi. The wind speed is 80 to 90 km per hour.” The power distribution network was working as normal and there was no major disruption caused by the cyclonic storm Biparjoy in supply of electricity, according to Power Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan.

“The cyclone has landed and its severity has been decreasing gradually while supply of electricity was continue as per routine in the most of the areas,” Dastgir said at a press conference on Friday.

“There was no load shedding for 70 per cent domestic consumers and industry at the moment.”

More than 180,000 people in the Indian state of Gujarat and Sindh province fled the path of Biparjoy – which means “disaster” in Bengali – before it made landfall on Thursday evening.

Climate change minister Sherry Rehman said “no human lives were lost” on her side of the border.

“Thank God it did not directly hit the coastal areas of Pakistan,” she told Dunya News.

In the fishing port of Keti Bandar – forecast to be hardest hit by the storm – “there was zero damage”, according to engineer Rahimullah Qureshi from the provincial irrigation department.

(With input from agencies)