Heavy monsoon rains have damaged 9000 homes and again put Pakistan on high alert, with widespread flooding across the country claiming hundreds of lives and damaging homes and livelihoods.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), at least 854 people have died and 1,181 others injured so far.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been the hardest hit, recording 484 deaths, followed by Punjab with 209. Sindh reported 41 fatalities, Balochistan 26, Gilgit-Baltistan 52, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 42, and Islamabad four.
Beyond the loss of life, nearly 9,000 houses have been destroyed, most of them in KPK (4,734) and AJK (2,126). Around 6,180 livestock have also perished, worsening the strain on rural livelihoods. These figures are lower compared to the devastation of 2022, when more than 2.3 million homes and 1.2 million livestock were lost.
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This year’s heaviest damage has so far been concentrated in Sindh, where 1.9 million houses were affected during 2022. Authorities warn that if floodwaters advance further south, losses may rise in the weeks ahead.
The timing of the disaster comes as Pakistan’s economy was showing tentative signs of recovery, supported by improvements in key macro indicators. Economists caution that the floods could disrupt the agriculture sector, drive food inflation, and slow growth momentum, echoing the ripple effects seen after past flood events.
Analysts said the disaster underlines Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate shocks, with sectors linked to rural income and food supply likely to be among the most exposed in the aftermath.
