Monsoon rains continue to batter Pakistan, particularly in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), leading to widespread flooding and devastation since late June. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 922 people have died, including 504 in KP and 244 in Punjab, and over 1,000 have been injured. More than 2.4 million people have been displaced, and 7,850 houses have been damaged, with nearly 2,000 completely destroyed.
In a situation report released Tuesday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that over 5.8 million people across Pakistan, including over 4.2 million in Punjab and 1.6 million in KP, have been affected by the natural disaster. As the country's humanitarian crisis is worsening, OCHA said many villages remain submerged, with some reporting water depths of up to 10 meters, which delays humanitarian access and assessments.
The situation is further complicated by the rising threat of waterborne diseases, which are expected to surge. KP Province is experiencing a dengue outbreak in flood-affected districts. High flood warnings remain in effect for the Sutlej River and other rivers, where water levels continue to rise.
Punjab has been severely impacted, with over 4.2 million people in more than 4,100 villages affected. Rescue efforts have evacuated over 2 million people and 1.5 million livestock. Additional evacuations are underway amid flood risks in the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers. In Sindh Province, over 100,000 people have been evacuated due to rising flood levels in the Indus River.
While Punjab Province is experiencing its worst riverine flooding in decades due to heavier-than-usual seasonal monsoon rains, KP Province continues to grapple with compounding crises, including heavy casualties and widespread destruction. Meanwhile, Sindh Province is on high alert for a potential super flood, with 1.6 million people identified as being at risk.
The UN is supporting the Pakistani government's response, and OCHA has deployed staff to the affected area in Punjab to facilitate coordination efforts.
On Monday, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher allocated US$5 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the response to the ongoing floods in Pakistan. This allocation supplements previous contributions of $600,000 from the Asia and the Pacific Regional Fund and $250,000 from the Pakistan Country-Based Pooled Fund for local non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
With these funds, cash transfers, health services, water and sanitation services, shelter, and food will be made available, among other urgent needs. The European Union has also provided €1 million in emergency assistance to support ongoing relief efforts.
However, existing resources are nearly depleted, and additional funding is urgently needed to address priority needs, including sanitation and hygiene, health, shelter, food, and water. Aid agencies focused on health have expressed concerns about the rising incidence of waterborne diseases in many parts of the country.
Pakistan's monsoon season began on June 26 with intense rains that caused widespread devastation, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.
The situation has been exacerbated by the fact that many communities were still recovering from the aftermath of the historic floods in 2022, which affected over 33 million people, displaced 7.9 million, killed over 1,700, and damaged or destroyed over 2.2 million homes, as well as the monsoon rains in 2023 that affected nearly 900,000 people.
According to weather warnings, heavy rainfall is forecast across Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, and KP, with alerts issued throughout Wednesday.
Pakistan is highly susceptible to natural disasters, such as droughts, earthquakes, floods, and landslides, which can cause widespread displacement and urgent humanitarian needs. Heavy rains and a combination of riverine, urban, and flash flooding led to the unprecedented climate-related humanitarian disaster in 2022.
Scientists warn that the enormous loss of life, damage to buildings and infrastructure, as well as the destruction of the agricultural sector, are likely consequences of the climate crisis. As climate change accelerates, floods caused by heavy rainfall are expected to become more frequent and severe.
Pakistan is one of the countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis, experiencing rates of warming well above the worldwide average and more frequent extreme weather events.