Authorities say 38 people have died and 120 have been injured since June 26 as monsoon rains lashed Pakistan.
Heavy rains caused flooding on the Zhob-Dera national highway, leading to the closure of the road PHOTO: EXPRESS
At least 38 people have been killed and 120 injured since the start of the monsoon season on June 26, with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) recording the highest death toll at 23, according to the latest daily situation report of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) released on Friday.
According to the report, Punjab recorded 10 deaths and Balochistan five, while no deaths were reported from Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) or Islamabad. Punjab also recorded the highest number of injuries, with 64, followed by KP with 43 and Balochistan with 13.
The NDMA said house collapses remained the leading cause of monsoon-related deaths, accounting for 65.8% of all deaths. Lightning strikes were responsible for 15.8% of deaths, followed by flash floods at 7.9%. Incidents involving solar panels and drowning each accounted for 2.6% of deaths, while falling trees and electrocution were also responsible for 2.6% each.
Since June 26, monsoon-related incidents have damaged 150 houses, of which 68 were destroyed and 82 partially damaged, the report said. A total of 177 livestock also perished, while 3.12 kilometers of roads were damaged, including 2.52 km in GB and 0.6 km in KP. No bridges were reported damaged. Rescue teams carried out 50 operations, rescuing 466 people, including 300 in Britain, 116 in KP and 50 in Punjab.
The authority said relief efforts since the start of the monsoon season have included the distribution of tents, blankets, food parcels, ration bags, hygiene kits, tarpaulins, drinking water, water filtration plants, solar lights, boats and other emergency supplies by provincial authorities, the federal government and humanitarian organizations in the affected areas.
The NDMA said no deaths, injuries, damage to houses or loss of livestock were reported in the last 24 hours. The only incident recorded was the blocking of a 0.1 kilometer stretch of the Chipursan Road in Hunza, Britain, caused by rain-related disruption. The authorities then restored traffic after clearing the obstacle.
Read also: PMD warns of heavy rain, flash floods and landslides across Pakistan from July 18-25
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned that monsoon activity is expected to intensify in large parts of the country from July 18 (tomorrow), with widespread rains, windstorms and thunderstorms forecast until July 25, increasing the risk of flash floods, urban flooding and landslides.
In a weather advisory issued, the Met Office said monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea are “continuously penetrating the upper and central parts of the country” and are likely to strengthen over the weekend.
The PMD warned that windstorms and lightning “could damage weak structures (solar panels, utility poles, billboards, etc.)” during the forecast period. He also warned that landslides may occur in vulnerable areas of upper KP, Murree, Galiyat and Kashmir, while flash floods are likely in local rivers and nullahs of KP, northeast Punjab, Islamabad, GB, torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan and northeast Balochistan during periods of heavy rains.
Learn more: Rain-related incidents leave nine dead, 28 injured in Punjab’s KP
Last year’s monsoon caused widespread damage across Pakistan, killing more than 1,000 people and causing damage estimated at 822 billion rupees (about $2.9 billion), according to the government’s assessment. According to Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, the agricultural sector suffered the heaviest losses, estimated at 430 billion rupees, while damage to infrastructure amounted to 307 billion rupees.
More than 312,000 households were affected across the country, with Punjab accounting for the vast majority. The floods also damaged 2,811 kilometers of roads, more than 2,200 educational institutions and 250 health facilities, while 866 water systems were affected. The disaster also dealt a major blow to the agricultural sector, killing more than 2,200 livestock and destroying millions of tons of crops, including cotton, rice and sugarcane.
This is not unprecedented. The 2022 floods caused economic losses worth $30 billion and required $16.3 billion for reconstruction. A World Bank assessment found that 82% of the losses were agricultural, affecting 4.4 million acres of farmland and 800,000 head of livestock.
Sindh was then hardest hit, accounting for almost 70% of the damage, while Balochistan and KP also suffered deeply. These floods claimed 1,700 lives, displaced 33 million people and caused $40 billion in damage nationwide.
