Floods and Heavy Rain Kill Dozens in Pakistan

New York Times

2 days ago

Heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan have killed at least 57 people in the past two days, many of them children, officials said on Friday.
The relentless rain began lashing Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, on Wednesday, causing floods in several cities and across vast rural stretches. Most of the deaths were caused by collapsing buildings, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.
Of the 57 deaths since Wednesday, 24 were children, the agency said.
This is the latest extreme weather to hit Pakistan, which has seen intense heat waves and floods in recent years. Scientists and officials have linked these events to climate change.
This monsoon season in Pakistan began in late June, and the heavy rains have killed at least 180 people and injured hundreds more, the national disaster authority said. More than 80 of the dead were children.
Chakwal, around 60 miles south of Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, was among the hardest-hit areas. The floods inundated several villages in the district and damaged infrastructure, including power lines.
'The floodwaters engulfed our homes and crops before my eyes,' said Malak Jamil, 56, a small farm owner in Chakwal. In a phone interview, he estimated his losses at more than $6,000. 'I have no idea how I will recover from this,' Mr. Jamil said.
The floods cut off road access to many areas. The Pakistani military deployed helicopters to evacuate more than a hundred stranded people, according to the state broadcaster Pakistan Television. The authorities have urged people in low-lying areas to heed evacuation orders when they are issued and leave for higher ground immediately.
A break was expected from the heavy rainfall on Friday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said.
Some of the deaths were caused by electrocution, officials said. Punjab's provincial government has warned people to stay away from downed power lines and household appliances affected by floodwater.
'As monsoon rains continue and waters rise, children face life-threatening risks from drowning and collapsing homes to spikes in waterborne diseases and electrocution,' the United Nations Children's Fund said in a statement.
Scientists have linked the heavy floods in recent years in Pakistan to climate change. Computer models have shown that human-caused warming has contributed to intensifying rainfall, which is especially strong during the monsoon season, which typically runs from July to September.
The monsoon season in 2022 brought some of the worst flooding to ever hit Pakistan. More than 1,700 people died, tens of thousands were left displaced and millions were recovering years later.
Heat waves have also become more intense in Pakistan in recent years. Disaster management officials in Punjab said this week that the accelerated melting of glaciers in the north of Pakistan has intensified the threat of floods.