ISLAMABAD: Torrential monsoon rains and unprecedented flooding have devastated large parts of Pakistan, killing more than 800 people, displacing hundreds of thousands, and causing damage estimated at up to $50 billion, officials said on Sunday.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported that since late June 2025, severe floods have swept across Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, leaving more than 1.2 million people affected.
The unprecedented floods have displaced around 250,000 people, with many seeking shelter in over 300 relief camps.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has suffered the heaviest losses, with over 400 deaths, including more than 200 in Buner district alone, according to the provincial disaster management authority.
In Punjab, at least 33 people have been killed and 2,200 villages inundated, forcing the evacuation of more than 700,000 people.
Punjab Disaster Management Authority chief Irfan Ali Kathia described the flooding as among the worst in the province’s history, with river flows reaching critical levels at several barrages.
Sindh bracing for ‘super flood’
Sindh is bracing for what Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has warned could be a “super flood” as between 800,000 and 1.1 million cusecs of floodwater are expected to enter the province in the coming days.
“If the flow surpasses 900,000 cusecs at Guddu and Sukkur barrages, it will be catastrophic,” Shah told reporters in Sukkur, adding that 192 boats had been readied for evacuations.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority Sindh has placed emergency response teams on high alert and directed district administrations to establish medical and relief camps in high-risk areas.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, glacial lake outbursts have killed more than 50 people, with a seven-kilometre-long lake in Ghizer district posing an ongoing threat of catastrophic flooding.
Monsoon rains destruction
The NDMA said more than 7,200 homes have been damaged or destroyed nationwide, along with crops, livestock and key infrastructure, including roads and bridges.
Thousands of families remain stranded in isolated villages, complicating rescue and relief efforts.
Officials and climate experts have attributed the severity of the floods to a combination of climate change and glacial melting.
The NDMA stated that monsoon rainfall this year is around 15 percent higher than average, intensifying the scale of the disaster.
Pakistan has also accused India of worsening the crisis by releasing excess water from dams across the border without adequate coordination.
The destruction of farmland in Punjab and Sindh has raised concerns about food security, while damage to transport networks has disrupted trade and relief delivery.
Relief and rehabilitation operations are ongoing, with rescue teams using boats to reach submerged areas.
The government has appealed for international support, warning that continued rainfall in upper catchments could further worsen the crisis in the weeks ahead.
The floods are among the deadliest natural disasters Pakistan has faced since 2010, when more than 20 million people were affected.
