20 August 2025 | 08:05 CAT
3-minute read

Pakistan Floods

Islamabad — Recent cloudbursts—defined as over 100 mm of rainfall within an hour—have triggered flash floods and landslides throughout Pakistan’s mountainous north, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and parts of Punjab. Buner alone saw more than 207 fatalities in a single day after receiving over 150 mm of rain—an event survivors described as overwhelming: “hit … within seconds”

According to official figures, the monsoon season from June 26 to mid-August has killed nearly 700 people, triggered massive evacuations, and caused widespread disruption nationwide. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) alone, particularly in the districts of Buner and Swat, the death toll has soared over 320, with children among the most affected. Overall, since June, at least 695 lives have been lost across Pakistan due to flash floods and landslides.

Scientists point to an alarming trend: heavy monsoon rainfall has become 10–15% heavier than what would be expected. One recent attribution study reported that in today’s climate, similar extreme 30-day rainfall events are 22% more intense due to a global warming of approximately 1,3 °C, with models indicating increases around 12%—and possibly up to 15%—due to human activity.

Pakistan contributes under 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions yet bears a disproportionate share of climate impacts. Scientists emphasise that heavy rain events will continue to intensify unless greenhouse gas emissions decline globally and resilience is built locally.

Media coverage has been slow to respond, overshadowed by more dramatic past disasters. Hafidh Ibrahim tells us this delay and lack of depth in reporting leaves critical questions unaddressed.

“It does seem as if the real coverage has only been over the past few days,” he said.

As experts and survivors alike struggle for clarity amid shifting terrain and submerged communities, Hafidh Ibrahim highlights persistent gaps in the reporting.

“Very little coverage on the fact that many places, electricity had been down, government emergency resources were slow to arrive,” he noted.

Today, roughly 70% of electricity has been restored, and many roads reopened—but not without delay. Relief operations are underway, involving military mobilisation to deliver food and medical aid, yet critiques of the sluggish response persist.

Despite the scale of the crisis, early warnings were sparse. Local authorities failed to widely deploy traditional alert systems—such as masjid loudspeakers—and emergency resources were slow to reach remote areas. Media narratives often reduce these events to “just floods”—when in fact, there are many factors that are at play.

Hafidh Ibrahim linked these gaps to structural issues.

“Some people’s lives are seen as more important than others, unfortunately,” he said.

That inequality, Ibrahim argues, is exacerbated by the political instability—such as the contested governance in KP and the imprisonment of key opposition figures—that undermines emergency response capacity.

The 2022 floods, which killed around 1 700 people, should have served as a wake-up call. Yet, the 2025 monsoon has laid bare Pakistan’s fragile preparedness.

Experts say that Pakistan needs roads that withstand floods, electrification that supports emergency response, and robust early warning systems, especially in remote areas. Additionally, response efforts must be fair and impartial—governance instability only widens existing disparities.

Listen to the Media Lens on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.