Monsoon death toll rises to 38 as house collapses remain leading cause: NDMA | The Express Tribune

At least 38 people have been killed and 120 injured since the onset of the monsoon season on June 26, with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) recording the highest death toll of 23, according to the National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA) latest daily situation report released on Friday.

According to the report, Punjab recorded 10 deaths and Balochistan five, while no fatalities have been reported in Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), or Islamabad. Punjab also recorded the highest number of injuries, with 64, followed by K-P with 43 and Balochistan with 13.

The NDMA said house collapses remained the leading cause of monsoon-related deaths, accounting for 65.8% of all fatalities. Lightning strikes were responsible for 15.8% of deaths, followed by flash floods at 7.9%. Incidents involving solar panels and drowning each accounted for 2.6% of fatalities, while falling trees and electrocution were also responsible for 2.6% each.

Since June 26, monsoon-related incidents have damaged 150 houses, including 68 that were destroyed and 82 that were partially damaged, the report said. A total of 177 livestock animals have also perished, while 3.12 kilometres of roads have been damaged, including 2.52km in G-B and 0.6km in K-P. No bridges have been reported damaged. Rescue teams have carried out 50 operations, rescuing 466 people, including 300 in G-B, 116 in K-P and 50 in Punjab.

The authority said relief efforts since the start of the monsoon season have included the distribution of tents, blankets, food packs, ration bags, hygiene kits, tarpaulins, drinking water, water filtration plants, solar lamps, boats and other emergency supplies by provincial authorities, the federal government and humanitarian organisations across affected areas.

The NDMA said no deaths, injuries, damage to houses or livestock losses were reported during the past 24 hours. The only incident recorded was the blockage of a 0.1-kilometre stretch of the Chipursan Road in Hunza, G-B, caused by rain-related disruption. Authorities later restored traffic after clearing the obstruction.

Also Read: PMD warns of heavy rain, flash floods and landslides across Pakistan from July 18-25

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warned that monsoon activity is expected to intensify across large parts of the country from July 18 (tomorrow), with widespread rain, windstorms, and thunderstorms forecast through July 25, raising the risk of flash floods, urban flooding, and landslides.

In a weather advisory issued, the Met Office said monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea are “continuously penetrating upper and central parts of the country” and are likely to strengthen over the weekend.

The PMD warned that windstorms and lightning “may damage weak structures (solar panels, electric poles, billboards, etc.)” during the forecast period. It also cautioned that landslides could occur in vulnerable areas of upper K-P, Murree, Galiyat, and Kashmir, while flash flooding is likely in local streams and nullahs across K-P, northeastern Punjab, Islamabad, G-B, the hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan, and northeastern Balochistan during periods of heavy rainfall.

Read More: Rain-related incidents kill nine, injure 28 across K-P, Punjab

Last year’s monsoon season caused widespread devastation across Pakistan, claiming more than 1,000 lives and causing an estimated Rs822 billion (around $2.9b) in damage, according to the government’s assessment. According to Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, the agriculture sector suffered the heaviest losses, estimated at Rs430b, while damage to infrastructure amounted to Rs307b.

More than 312,000 homes were affected nationwide, with Punjab accounting for the vast majority. The floods also damaged 2,811 kilometres of roads, more than 2,200 educational institutions, and 250 health facilities, while 866 water supply systems were affected. The disaster also dealt a heavy blow to the farming sector, killing more than 2,200 livestock and destroying millions of tonnes of crops, including cotton, rice, and sugarcane.

This is not unprecedented. The 2022 floods caused $30 billion worth of economic losses and required $16.3 billion for reconstruction. A World Bank assessment found that 82% of the losses were agricultural, affecting 4.4 million acres of farmland and 800,000 livestock.

Sindh bore the brunt then, accounting for nearly 70% of damage, while Balochistan and K-P also suffered deeply. Those floods claimed 1,700 lives, displaced 33 million people, and caused devastation worth $40 billion nationwide.