KARACHI/LAHORE/PESHAWAR:
Year after year, during the monsoon season, the debilitating effects of global warming and the neighboring rival’s water aggression become blatantly obvious. Yet even as multiple areas across the country face a high risk of destruction, it appears that the disaster prevention and calamity management authorities are still struggling to catch up.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), more than 800 people have been killed and over a thousand injured across the country during the monsoon rain spell from June 26th to August 18th. In the plain regions of Punjab alone, 164 people died while 582 others were injured, when rainfall between 100 to 200 mm falling within an hour instigated flooding.
In the provincial capital, Lahore, each monsoon season turns the city of gardens into Venice, the city of canals. While some narrow alleys in the Old City are entirely inundated by rainwater due to their outdated drainage systems, even the newly constructed underpasses and avenues are unable to withstand the heavy downpours, which have so far claimed the lives of at least 33 people while injuring 61 others.
During the recent downpours, many areas, including Johar Town, Allama Iqbal Town, Gulshan Ravi, WAPDA Town, Model Town, Township, Samanabad, and Jilani Park were left submerged for days after a heavy raining spell, causing much inconvenience to local residents and businessmen, who were unable to carry on with their usual activities.
Apart from causing widespread waterlogging, the stagnant water has also reportedly instigated a rise in the incidence of vector and water-borne illnesses among the local population. Approximately 15,400 patients of dengue fever, malaria, diarrhea, skin infections and other seasonal diseases have been registered in the province over the past month.
Likewise, in Sindh, 48 people died while over 70 were injured due to heavy rains. On August 19th, extremely heavy rainfall flooded major parts of the port city, Karachi, within a few hours, with at least 20 deaths reported. With parts of the major avenue, Shahrah-e-Faisal submerged underwater, many commuters were stuck in their cars for hours.
Apart from inundating countless avenues and neighbourhoods including Gulshan- e-Hadeed, University Road, I.I. Chundrigar, Hassan Square, Nipa Chowrangi, Jail Chowrangi, Liaquatabad, Korangi, Karsaz and Malir Expressway, the devastating weather also suspended the supply of electricity alongside instigating a nationwide internet connectivity crisis.
K-P’s August horror
Among all the ruinous repercussions of the weather emergency felt across the country, the deadliest effects of the monsoon season were felt in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which was hit hardest by the disastrous raining spell primarily due to the absence of an early flood warning system.
Reportedly, at least 485 people including 84 children have been killed during the recent heavy rains, flash floods and cloudbursts hitting multiple areas in K-P including Buner, Swat, Shangla, Bajaur, Swabi, Battagram and Mansehra.
30-year-old Mujeebur Rehman lost five members of his family in the recent floods that hit the country’s northern half. “If an emergency warning system was active in my area, me and many other people would not be grieving the loss of our loved ones,” said Rehman, while speaking of the Buner tragedy, which caused the maximum number of casualties in the province.
On August 15th, tragedy hit the Buner district, when the Pir Baba tehsil came under the wrath of a sudden cloudburst, which inundated more than half of the 70 to 80 houses in the village, claiming the lives of a total of 241 people. Among the victims of the cloudburst disaster was the family of Ustad Nabi Khan, who helplessly witnessed seventeen members of his family being swept away by the gush of rainwater within a few minutes.
“Our entire lives were uprooted within just five minutes. The volume of rainwater was so massive that it appeared as if the reservoir of an entire dam had been discharged into our area. After this tragedy, neither sleep comes nor life passes. Now, upon hearing the name of rain, panic and fear spreads in the whole village. Since August 15th, 30 to 40 people are still missing in our village, Bishnoi,” informed Khan.
Just four days after the Buner tragedy, 42 more people lost their lives after a similar cloudburst hit Swabi. Aurangzeb Khan, who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia after winning a trophy in archery, was among the victims. Khan’s close relative Wali Ullah recalled the heartbreaking incident, when a huge gush of water carrying massive stones pounded the Dalori village. “It was 8am in the morning. Men were leaving for work while women and children were in their homes. A huge boulder hit my cousins house and he died,” shared Wali.
Himayat Khan, an elder from the same village, told the Express Tribune that despite lying in an arid region with no rivers, the deluge hitting their village brought water from nine different places uphill and within a few minutes their entire area was flooded. In light of the unanticipated natural catastrophe, the K-P government has imposed an emergency in the five worst-affected districts, Swat, Buner, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram till August 31st.
Broken defenses
As the government rushes to take preventative measures in the nick of time, the scale of damage reported across the province demonstrates that the broken defenses are grossly inadequate.
“Unfortunately, K-P still has no early emergency warning system, which could reduce the number of causalities. As the province comes under the grip of this extreme weather and flood situation, our preparation for the disaster remains measly and is a reflection of the government’s negligence,” said Alam Zeb Khan, a weather forecast specialists
Speaking on the government’s relief efforts, Minister for Health Ihtisham Ali assured that he was monitoring the situation in the affected areas including Buner and Swabi. “All medical facilities are available to the affected people. The government has sent medicines and a mobile unit’s team with specialized doctors and experts to provide all possible support and health facilities to the victims. We are prioritizing the provision of health facilities to our people, and there is no shortage of medicines or doctors in the affected areas,” claimed Ali.
Refuting Ali’s assurances, Anwer Zeb, a journalist based in Buner, highlighted the on-ground challenges facing flood victims, who were unable to seek medical help after the recent natural calamity left much of the connective infrastructure in shambles. “Contrary to the claims of the K-P government, neither any doctors not proper health facilities are available in any of the district hospitals due to which the patients are referred to Peshawar,” revealed Zeb, while speaking of K-P, where 46 health facilities have been damaged by the recent floods.
Apart from damaging healthcare facilities, the recent climate emergency in K-P has also badly affected the province’s ailing education network. Secretary Elementary and Secondary Education K-P Khalid Khan informed The Express Tribune that 400 schools had already been damaged during the recent floods and cloudbursts, with several teachers and students tragically losing their lives.
Explaining the disastrous weather pattern, Dr Muhammad Nafees, an expert in environmental impact assessment from the University of Peshawar, revealed that while flooding was caused by glacial melting, cloudbursts emanated from cumulonimbus clouds which caused more than 100 millimeters of rainfall per hour within an area of 20 to 30 square kilometers.
“Cumulonimbus clouds are thick and dense with a range of 1,000 to 3,000 meters and are usually formed during the summer season. Although their formation is normal in the mountainous regions of Pakistan, after 2022, the increase in their intensity is linked to climate change. Due to the increase in temperature, the amount of moisture in the atmosphere becomes high, increasing the likelihood of cloudbursts,” explained Dr Nafees.
Lessons unlearnt
For a region prone to the wrath of nature, effective planning and preventative strategies are critical to prevent calamities from recurring. However, as the authorities continue to repeat past mistakes, many lessons in disaster management remain unlearnt.
Dr Shahla Nazneen, Lecturer at the Department of Environment, University of Peshawar, told the Express Tribune that damage caused by cloudbursts could be reduced by limiting the population residing in the mountains, preventing deforestation, protecting pastures, and curtailing encroachments on the sides of the rivers.
“The areas in Buner and Swabi that have faced destruction after cloudbursts could have been saved if small dams were built and their populations controlled. In 2002, the River Protection Act clearly mentioned that there should be no population in the 200 ft. loci of the river. However, no one follows this Act even after 23 years. If this law is implemented properly, infrastructural damage and casualties from natural calamities can be reduced,” said Dr Nazneen.
According to the initial report of the provincial government, the recent rains have instigated financial losses amounting to more than Rs20 billion, with 603 public properties of 20 departments damaged. Furthermore, 4,077 houses, 37 government educational institutions, 83 roads and 10 bridges too have been destroyed while 226 irrigation channels and 68 water supply schemes have been affected.
Every monsoon season, hundreds of people lose their lives due to floods in K-P. In 2022, 289 people died, 15,000 houses were destroyed and about 30,000 cattle were killed when devastating floods hit Swat, Shangla, Battagram, Kohistan and Tank. Despite the history of destructive downpours, the province faces a shortage of heavy machinery and modern debris cutting equipment. Reportedly, rescue teams have access to only one dumper and six excavators while the total number of heavy machines is just 29.
Pakistan Meteorological Department K-P Director Muhammad Faheem acknowledged the unavailability of an early flood warning system in the province. “We have to rely on apps or websites of different countries for weather forecasting but unfortunately do not have our own system. We have a radar system in Mardan, however, due to power outages, the million-rupee system is not working,” said Faheem.
When inquired about the unavailability of an early flood warning system, Chief Minister Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur digressed from the subject, claiming that the government had doubled the budget for relief and rehabilitation and the performance of the department was applaudable. “Billions of rupees have been announced for the flood victims, who will be facilitated in every way possible,” said Gandapur.
Much to his dismay, Gandapur’s words have failed to placate the growing resentment among critics. Advocate Muhammad Hamdan lambasted the government for brazenly repeating history. “When will this government learn from their past mistakes? The government spends huge amounts of money compensating the affected families but refuses to invest in disaster prevention. An early flood warning system is the need of the hour and should be installed in each district with advanced technologies,” emphasized Hamdan.
War of waters
Where poor disaster management and lack of relief efforts had caused ample destruction throughout the months of July and August, Pakistan’s hostile neighbour saw it as the perfect opportunity to kick start a one-sided war of waters.
In the aftermath of the four-day war in May 2025, it appears as if the archnemesis has now utilized water as an official weapon against Pakistan. In fact, after launching a global diplomatic offensive against Pakistan and turning down all offers of negotiations, the hubristic rival’s first official contact with its neighbour came as a warning for serious flooding.
Although India has a history of tampering with the flow of river water to Pakistan, the recent rise in hostilities between the two nations led the country to unilaterally and illegally suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, under which it was obliged to share crucial information on the water flowing into Pakistan.
With this treaty now in abeyance, India recently released water from its swollen rivers into Pakistan. After the alert issued by India on August 26th, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has evacuated over 210,000 people in light of the increased risk of flooding in the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers.
With the Kartarpur corridor in Narowal almost entirely submerged, on August 28th, exceptionally high flooding was reported from multiple areas across Punjab including Shahdara, and Ganda Singh Wala. In Gujranwala, district authorities carried out a series of controlled explosions at the Qadirabad headworks to reduce the pressure of the inflowing water and avert destruction.
“The next 24 hours are crucial for Lahore, Kasur, and Sahiwal since water levels in the Ravi are expected to continuously rise in the coming six hours,” warned PDMA Punjab Director General Irfan Ali Kathia in a recent statement issued by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). With additional reporting from our correspondents
