PESHAWAR: The death toll from rain-related incidents across Pakistan since last month has reached 83, data from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) showed on Sunday, as the Pakistan Meteorological Department warned of a fresh spell of rains in several parts of the country.
Torrential rains have wreaked havoc across Pakistan, especially KP, since last month. The northwestern province has reported 45 deaths and 105 injuries in roof and wall collapses due to heavy rains since Mar. 25.
At least 27 people have been killed in Karachi in the southern Sindh province since last month, according to provincial authorities, while the southwestern Balochistan province has witnessed nine deaths. The eastern Punjab province has reported two deaths in rain-related incidents, taking the death toll since last month to 83 across the country.
The PMD said a western disturbance was expected to enter Balochistan on Sunday evening and persist in the upper parts of the country until Apr. 9.
“Widespread rain-windstorm/thunderstorm (with isolated heavy falls/hailstorm) is expected in several parts of the country during the period,” the PMD said in its latest advisory issued on Saturday, warning of particularly intense weather in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Islamabad and parts of Balochistan.
The PMD said heavy rains could trigger flash floods in parts of Kashmir, northeast Balochistan and upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa between Apr. 6 and 8, while urban flooding is likely in cities including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Gujranwala and Sialkot over the same period.
Landslides are also expected in mountainous areas of KP, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir, potentially disrupting travel, while strong winds, hail and lightning may damage weak structures and standing crops, it added.
The advisory urged tourists and travelers to avoid unnecessary movement during the forecast period, while farmers were asked to take precautionary measures to protect crops.
In its latest report issued on Sunday, the PDMA KP said among the 45 rain-related deaths, 23 were children, 17 were men and 5 were women while the injured include 45 men, 16 women and 44 children.
It said a total of 442 houses have been adversely affected due to rain-related incidents since Mar. 25, of which 382 were damaged and 60 completely destroyed.
These losses were reported in several districts, such as Bannu, Abbottabad, Mardan, Bajaur, Hangu, Mohmand, Kohat, North Waziristan, Peshawar, Khyber, Nowshera, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank and others, the PDMA said.
Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change and has in recent years experienced increasingly erratic weather patterns, including extreme rainfall, floods and heatwaves that have exposed gaps in infrastructure and disaster preparedness.
Pakistan is still reeling from the aftermath of devastating floods in 2022 that killed more than 1,700 people and affected over 33 million, while last year’s monsoon season also triggered widespread flooding, killing more than 1,000.
