By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Torrential rains have killed at least 195 people and wounded 362 across Pakistan since July 1, with the death toll rising by seven in the past 24 hours, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Sunday.
The NDMA reported six fatalities in Punjab and one in Balochistan, taking the total death toll to 195. At least 30 people were injured in the same period, with Punjab bearing the brunt of the casualties.
Devastating rains have caused widespread destruction, damaging over 2,293 houses, including 1,559 partially and 734 fully damaged, and affecting over 44km of roads and 30 bridges.
Flash floods triggered by heavy rains in low-lying areas have damaged houses and crops, washed away roads and bridges, and caused roofs and boundary walls of several houses to collapse.
In Chaman, flash floods washed away a railway track and damaged another in Noshki, cutting the rail link between Pakistan and Iran. Heavy rainfall in Chaman has led to widespread destruction and suspension of passenger train services.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has updated its weather advisory, indicating a shift in the monsoon system from Karachi and lower Sindh towards central and upper Sindh, as well as Balochistan.
Cities in Sindh, including Jacobabad, Larkana, Dadu, Shikarpur, Ghotki, and Sukkur, are expected to experience heavy rainfall, while the likelihood of heavy rain in Karachi has diminished.
Balochistan has been severely affected, with three people killed and three others injured due to heavy monsoon rains. Many areas of the province have been cut off from the rest of the country, with dozens of mud houses and walls collapsed, and power and communication systems disrupted.
Railway tracks in Chaman, Harnai, Dera Allah Yar, and Nushki have been submerged, leading to a shortage of food supplies and stranding hundreds of vehicles due to road closures.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, flash floods fueled by rapidly melting glaciers have blocked the Karakoram Highway at multiple points due to mudslides, sweeping away crops and damaging dozens of houses.
The Gilgit-Shandur road has also been blocked due to flooding, stranding thousands of passengers, including foreign and local tourists.
Flash floods have also occurred in Aliabad, Haiderabad, and other areas in Hunza, as well as in Shigar and Nagar. The Gilgit-Ghizer road has been blocked at multiple locations after local nullahs overflowed in the Ghizer district.
The PDMA has issued a flood warning for Qamber-Sahdadkot, Dadu, and Jamshoro districts of Sindh due to water coming from the mountain ranges. The water level in the Manchhar Lake has exceeded 112.5 RL, causing new streams to flow through the mountains and a medium-level flood in the Indus River.
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