Cataclysmic monsoon rains sweeping through Pakistan since late June have killed more than 200 people, including almost 100 children, and injured over 560 individuals, a Geo TV report said, quoting the nation’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Punjab province had the most causalities, at 123 fatalities. This was trailed by 40 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 21 in Sindh, 16 in Balochistan, and a single each in Islamabad and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The fatalities were due to a series of rain-induced disasters. A total of at least 118 people died from collapsed houses, 30 from flash floods, and others from drowning, lightning, electrocution, and landslides.
According to Geo TV, 182 out of 560 injured were minors. The heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding have brought destruction, displacing people and damaging infrastructure.
In Rawalpindi, flash floods overran houses, roads, and bazaars. “Whole neighborhoods were underwater, water rising to roof levels in some areas,” and many of its residents were compelled to evacuate, abandoning their properties.
Faisalabad too experienced the worst of the monsoon wrath, with 11 fatalities and 60 injured being recorded through 33 individual incidents over a span of only two days. The majority of the victims died due to collapsing buildings weakened by continuous rain.
Heavy rains and landslides in Punjab destroyed infrastructure throughout the province. Over 32 roads were destroyed in Chakwal alone after being hit with over 450mm of rain, Geo TV reported.
Apart from physical damage, the flooding caused disruptions in communications and electricity supply, which are still unrepaired in many affected areas.
UN News, in a recent publication, cautioned against the impending threat of glacier lake outburst floods in the Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The organisation noted that such floods demonstrate Pakistan’s growing vulnerability to climate shocks.
The UN reminded its audience of the 2022 monsoon catastrophe, which killed more than 1,700, displaced millions, damaged water infrastructure, and inflicted losses worth approximately USD 40 billion.
Pakistan’s monsoon rains between June and September are believed to cause fatal floods, landslides, and wholesale displacements, especially in urban and rural areas with high population density or poor drainage.
