PESHAWAR / ISLAMABAD: At least 11 more people were killed due to heavy monsoon rainfall in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) on 22nd July as the national death toll surged to 234 since late June, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Heavy rains triggered flash floods in several districts of KP and Gilgit-Baltistan, damaging homes and increasing water levels in rivers and streams, prompting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to instruct NDMA to coordinate with provincial governments and relevant departments for immediate relief to the affected people.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), six deaths, including four children, were reported from Swat, while two deaths were reported from Bajaur and each from Buner and Upper Kohistan.
In Swat, two children were washed away in Sur Dheri nullah, while three children were killed after a roof collapsed in Madyan area. A woman was washed away in a flash flood in Khawazkhela.
Two men in Bajaur’s Loe Mamond areas and a woman in Upper Kohistan were washed away in flash floods. A man also died in Buner.
In GB, flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall continued to devastate communities across the northern region on Tuesday.
Rescue 1122 said a flash flood in Danyor nallah inundated residential communities, destroyed crops, and irrigation channels. The deluge also damaged link roads and suspension bridges, cutting road links to affected areas.
The local administration reported that a high-level flood in Thor Nala of Chilas had inundated Wapda Colony, forcing residents to evacuate the area.
There are also reports of destruction in Bolan area of Astore district where a woman was killed.
Meanwhile, 250 tourists and passengers stranded at the Babusar Highway have been rescued by the Diamer district administration, volunteers, police, Rescue 1122 and army, according to GB government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq.
According to eyewitnesses and local sources, 10 to 15 people were still missing, and a search operation was underway to find them.
Tourists stranded in Deosai due to the blocking of the Skardu-Deosai road have also been rescued.
Monsoon death toll
The monsoon rains, battering the country since late June, have resulted in widespread devastation.
According to NDMA, 234 people have lost their lives and 596 injured. Moreover, 826 houses have been damaged while 203 livestock killed since June 26.
Of the 234 deaths, 79 were men, 42 women and 113 children.
The highest number of casualties was reported from Punjab, where 135 people lost their lives. In KP, 56 people were killed; Sindh recorded 24 fatalities; and Balochistan 16.
Two fatalities have been reported from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, while one child has been killed in Islamabad. No loss of life has been reported so far from Gilgit-Baltistan, according to NDMA.
Two fatalities have been reported in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, involving one man and one child. In Islamabad, one child was killed due to heavy rain and flooding.
Glof, flood forecast
In Punjab, houses and standing crops in hundreds of villages have been inundated because of low-to-medium level flooding in various rivers.
The deluge in Ravi, Sutlej, Chenab and Indus rivers forced evacuations and displaced hundreds of people in riverine areas of Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rahim Yar Khan.
Over 20 villages in Jhang district have been inundated due to the rising water levels in the Jhelum River. The Sutlej river has seen low-level flooding at Sulemanki, while there are concerns about the potential releases of water from Indian dams on the Beas and Sutlej rivers.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued a fresh alert for glacial lake outburst floods (Glofs) in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Separately, KP PDMA has also issued a Glof alert for Chitral Upper, Chitral Lower, Dir Upper, Swat and Kohistan Upper.
A PMD advisory issued on Tuesday said the ongoing rainfall spell is likely to continue and can affect KP and GB during the week.
The prevailing weather conditions will increase the risk of Glofs, flash floods and landslides in vulnerable regions of GB and KP.
The Met Office has advised local authorities to remain alert and take necessary measures to protect human lives and property.
The NDMA has warned of landslides in northern regions in view of the forecast monsoon rains.
The authority has cautioned PDMAs, rescue services, local administration, armed forces and NGOs to prepare for possible emergency situations.
As per the projection, isolated rainfall is expected in Gilgit, Skardu, Hunza, Astore, Diamir, Ghanche, Muzaffarabad, Neelum Valley, Haveli, Bagh, and Poonch areas of GB and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. A similar weather pattern is expected in Chitral, Dir, Kohistan and adjoining mountainous zones of KP.
The downpour will increase the risk of landslides, mudslides, rockfalls and ground subsidence in Kolai Palas, Lower Kohistan, Upper Kohistan, Tatta Pani, Jaglot, Nagar, Hunza, Rondu, Skardu and Chitral.
Relief operations
NDMA said it conducted 62 rescue operations across the country, rescuing 450 people stranded in flash floods during the monsoon season. The authority has established 27 relief and medical camps to serve the displaced population.
NDMA has also distributed 349 tents, 358 blankets, 500 sandbags, 266 quilts and sleeping bags, 76 mattresses, 554 kitchen sets and 305 mosquito nets.
The relief package also comprised 41 plastic mats, 25 hygiene kits, 35 jerry cans, 88 tarpaulins, and 59 miscellaneous items. Food support included 153 food packs, while emergency equipment featured 95 dewatering pumps, 10 gabions, 200 charpais, 201 gas cylinders or stoves, 30 life jackets, and three boats.
Meanwhile, the PM expressed grief over the loss of lives due to heavy rainfall. He has also directed the authorities to utilise all resources to locate a man and his daughter who were swept away by water after their car got stuck in a deluge in a housing society of Islamabad.
The PM also instructed the National Highway Authority and Frontier Works Organisation to expedite the restoration of highways and link roads affected by floods.
Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2025
