By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: At least 72 people have died in monsoon-related incidents across Pakistan since late June, after a fresh burst of heavy rain killed nine more in Punjab and 15 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past 24 hours, disaster management officials said on Wednesday.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said the toll, recorded since 26 June, has been driven largely by collapsing buildings, flash flooding, lightning strikes, electrocution and drowning — hazards that recur every year as monsoon rains overwhelm ageing drainage systems and expose poorly built housing in flood-prone districts.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has borne the brunt of the casualties, accounting for 41 of the deaths recorded so far, according to the NDMA’s situation report published on Wednesday. Punjab has recorded 19 deaths, Azad Kashmir seven and the south-western province of Balochistan five.
The authority said 15 people had been killed and two injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the space of a single day, while a further nine died in Punjab over the same period.
Rescue 1122, the emergency services agency operating in Punjab, gave a fuller account of the damage in the province. “Nine people were killed and 38 others were injured across Punjab during the last 24 hours after walls and roofs collapsed due to rain and windstorms,” said Farooq Ahmad, a spokesman for the service.
Rivers rising, flood camps readied
The rains have also begun pushing water levels higher in several of Punjab’s major rivers, according to the province’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), which reported low-level flooding at Kalabagh and Chashma on the Indus, and at Marala and Qadirabad on the Chenab. The Chenab was experiencing medium-level flooding at Khanki.
Umar Abbas Meela, director general of the Punjab PDMA, said further rises were likely. “Due to rainfall in the upper catchment areas, there is a risk of further increase in river flows,” he said, urging people living close to riverbanks to move to higher ground without delay.
“Citizens living in riverbeds should immediately move to safer places,” Meela said, adding that flood relief camps had already been set up in vulnerable areas. He also appealed to the public to steer clear of rivers, canals and streams for recreational purposes, and to use certified boats and life jackets if crossing waterways was unavoidable.
Punjab’s chief minister, Maryam Nawaz, issued a similar warning, urging residents not to risk their lives by swimming or bathing in canals, rivers or rainwater drains while the monsoon system remains active.
Record rainfall in Gujranwala
The heaviest rain fell in Gujranwala, where the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) recorded 245mm — a new high for the city — over the past 24 hours. Lahore received 123mm and Gujrat 95mm, Wasa said.
Elsewhere in Punjab, the PDMA logged 139mm in Sialkot, 138mm in Mandi Bahauddin, 117mm in Narowal, 85mm in Hafizabad, 70mm in Chakwal, 64mm in Okara, 35mm in Jhang, 33mm in Layyah and 32mm in Jhelum.
Since the start of this year’s monsoon season, at least 17 deaths have been recorded in Punjab alone, the PDMA said. Of those, 12 were caused by collapsing structures, two by lightning and three by electrocution.
Cities brought to a standstill
The scale of the downpour left large parts of central and northern Punjab struggling to cope. Images circulating on social media showed the Shamsi Underpass in Gujranwala’s Civil Lines area completely submerged, blocking traffic entirely.
In Lahore, standing water built up across numerous parts of the city, including Kareem Block Market, Johar Town, Township, Ferozepur Road, Multan Road, Samanabad, Gulshan-i-Ravi, Lakshmi Chowk and Model Town. Footage posted on social media platform X showed vehicles wading through knee-deep water on major roads, while residents in several affected neighbourhoods reported extended power cuts.
Wasa Lahore, however, disputed suggestions that the city’s drainage network had been overwhelmed, saying in a statement that no significant water accumulation had been reported on most major roads and intersections. The agency said it was running real-time monitoring of drainage operations from a dedicated monsoon control room, with teams mobilised to clear main drains and channels.
The director general of Wasa Punjab, speaking while inspecting drainage efforts in Gujranwala, said crews were working across 41 districts and that rivers, dams and barrages were being monitored continuously. “Teams are mobilised for immediate cleaning of main drains and channels to provide relief to citizens,” he said, adding that all field teams had been placed on high alert and instructed to prioritise the fastest possible drainage of rainwater. He urged residents to avoid non-essential travel and to contact the relevant authorities if an emergency arose.
In Gujrat, Wasa said 20 emergency teams had been deployed continuously across the city’s three zones, and claimed traffic was flowing normally on major roads.
Punjab’s housing minister, Bilal Yasin, has directed all relevant departments to remain on standby to respond quickly to problems faced by residents during the monsoon period, with particular emphasis on clearing water from low-lying areas.
“With above-normal rainfall expected during this monsoon season, the drainage system across Punjab — including Lahore — is being made more effective and modernised,” Yasin said.
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