ISLAMABAD: Torrential monsoon rains have killed at least 883 people and injured nearly 1,200 others across Pakistan since late June, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said Thursday.
Fresh incidents since Wednesday claimed the lives of two children — one in Azad Kashmir and another in Islamabad — local media reported.
NDMA’s National Emergencies Operation Centre (NEOC) issued a new alert warning of more rainfall in several regions within the next 12 to 24 hours.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab provinces remain the worst hit. KP has reported 488 deaths and 360 injuries, while Punjab recorded 223 fatalities and 648 injuries. Sindh confirmed 58 deaths, Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) 41, PoK 38, Balochistan 26, and Islamabad nine.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warned that the River Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala in Punjab would stay at exceptionally high flood levels. A fresh flood wave in the River Chenab could also reach “very high to exceptional” levels from Marala downstream.
PMD forecasts say floodwaters at Panjnad, where the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers converge, will surge on Sept 4–5, threatening thousands of acres of farmland and hundreds of villages. The River Indus at Guddu in Sindh may hit “high to very high” flood levels by Sept 6–7.
Heavy rains in upper catchments could also trigger urban flooding in Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the PMD cautioned.
Authorities issued rain alerts for Punjab, KP, PoGB and PoK. Scattered downpours are expected in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Buner and Abbottabad, with warnings of flash floods, overflowing streams and landslides in hilly areas.
Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said Chenab floodwaters had submerged 261 villages in Jhang and at least two dozen in Muzaffargarh.
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Across Pakistan, the floods have destroyed more than 9,200 houses, including 4,700 in KP and 2,100 in PoK, and swept away over 6,000 livestock. Nearly 240 bridges and 670 km of roads have also sustained damage.
