SWAT, Pakistan: Nearly a month after devastating floods ripped through northern Pakistan, daily life in Swat valley remains far from normal. In Mingora, the region’s bustling hub, families continue to live with relatives or in makeshift shelters, waiting for compensation that has yet to arrive. Many speak of broken promises, lost livelihoods, and a slow-moving state response.
“We have been living with our sister’s family for the last 25 days,” said Tariq Iqbal, a private schoolteacher from the Bangladesh neighborhood of Mingora.
“We were expecting help from the government, but nothing has been provided yet, except for a few volunteers who helped clear the debris.” Iqbal says while some homeowners have received cheques, he is still waiting for support to rebuild his rented home.
For many, the frustration is compounded by uncertainty. “The government must provide financial assistance and proper shelters,” Iqbal said, echoing the demands of dozens of families across the valley.
How the floods struck
The floods, triggered by relentless monsoon rains and glacial melt, have so far killed up to 1000 people across Pakistan, according to officials. Crops, livestock, and entire communities have been swept away, with Punjab, Sindh, and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa among the worst-hit.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, days of torrential rains followed by a sudden cloudburst in early August swelled the Swat River and its tributaries, unleashing torrents that swept away houses, markets, bridges, and farmlands.”
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) estimates that 853 acres of crops were submerged in Swat, while hundreds of livestock perished.
The disaster was not confined to Swat. In neighboring Buner — the worst-hit district in Pakistan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province — more than 1,157 acres of farmland were destroyed and 4,818 livestock killed, making recovery especially daunting in a region where farming is a primary livelihood. Smaller but significant losses were also recorded in Shangla and Swabi.
Local officials describe the 2025 floods as unusually violent compared to those in 2022. Environmental experts attribute the shift to climate change, pointing to erratic rainfall and flash flooding that leaves communities with little time to prepare.
Daily struggles and unkept promises
On September 5, the deputy commissioner’s office in Swat announced financial assistance: Rs 1 million for each of 51 families whose homes were completely destroyed, and Rs 30 million distributed among 440 partially affected households. Yet residents say the aid has not reached all who qualify.
Haider Ali, from Zahid Abad in Mingora, said his family received only Rs 15,000 in government relief. “Al-Khidmat ( A private Charity) volunteers have helped us far more than the authorities,” he said, listing blankets, cleaning assistance, and food supplies provided by the charity. “But we need proper financial help to replace clothes, utensils, and essential household items.”
Aid and volunteer response
In the absence of swift state intervention, non-governmental organizations have stepped in. The Al-Khidmat Foundation, one of Pakistan’s largest relief groups, has mobilized thousands of volunteers, heavy machinery, and medical staff across the province.
“Clean water was the most urgent need in the first days,” said Dr. Hafeez-ur-Rehman, president of Al-Khidmat Foundation. “We sent trucks of bottled water and later installed a filtration plant providing 48,000 liters daily.” He added that around 7,000 people are being fed daily in the flood-hit zones.
The group has also deployed excavators, dumpers, and tractors to clear thick mud from homes and shops, while more than 200 medical camps have treated 30,000 patients exposed to waterborne diseases. With 300 ambulances and over 5,000 volunteer doctors on call, Al-Khidmat is now a lifeline for displaced families.
A long road ahead
Despite these efforts, Swat’s recovery remains precarious. Farmers who lost crops and livestock face mounting debt. Shopkeepers are unable to reopen businesses buried under layers of silt. Families forced into temporary shelters worry about surviving the approaching winter.
“The mud is still inside people’s homes — in some places four to five feet high,” Dr. Hafeez-ur-Rehman said. “Until this is cleared, people cannot return to normal life. And once the cleaning is done, they need financial assistance to restart their businesses.”
For now, resilience is the only option. Swat’s residents, scarred by past floods and militancy, are once again left to rely on their own networks of kinship and volunteer aid. But the memory of delayed state support lingers.
As Iqbal, the schoolteacher, put it: “We hear announcements of compensation every day, but our lives are still on hold. How long can we wait?”
