ISLAMABAD: Authorities were conducting relief operations in several areas across Pakistan after this week’s torrential rains appeared to largely subside, with the death toll from rain-related incidents nearing 200 since late June.
Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province has been the hardest hit with 114 deaths, followed by 40 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 21 in Sindh, 16 in Balochistan and one each in Islamabad and Azad Kashmir since June 26, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Authorities rescued four special persons who were stranded in floodwaters, while 18 others were evacuated to safety in Kacha Rokhri area in Punjab’s Minawali district, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party said on X, citing authorities.
“Immediate cleaning of landslide-affected roads in different areas of Chakwal has started. Administration, rescue and heavy machinery are present on the spot,” the party said.
“Deputy commissioners have been instructed to remain in the field until rainwater drainage is completed.”
The downpours have also damaged nearly 700 homes across the South Asian country, according to the disaster management authorities. Rations, blankets and tents are being distributed by local administrations in affected areas.
“Scattered thunderstorm/rain with isolated heavy falls is expected over Sindh, East Balochistan and South Punjab,” the NDMA said in its weather outlook for Saturday and Sunday.
Monsoon season brings South Asia 70 to 80 percent of its annual rainfall, arriving in early June in India and late June in Pakistan, and lasting through until September.
The annual rains are vital for agriculture and food security, and the livelihoods of millions of farmers. But increasingly erratic and extreme weather patterns are turning the rains into a destructive force.
In 2022, record-breaking monsoon rains combined with glacial melt submerged nearly a third of Pakistan, killing more than 1,700 people and displacing over 8 million. In May, at least 32 people were killed in severe storms, including strong hailstorms.
