By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Flash floods and torrential rains have claimed at least 64 lives and injured 117 people across Pakistan over the past week, with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) warning on Wednesday of escalating risks from more floods, potential glacial lake outbursts, and urban inundation, with heavy rain forecast from July 5 to 10.
The relentless downpours have wreaked havoc from the mountainous northwest to the sprawling eastern plains, leaving authorities scrambling to contain the damage and brace for what’s to come.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in the rugged northwest, has borne the brunt of the disaster, with 23 deaths, including 10 children. A devastating flash flood in the Swat Valley last week swept away 14 people, many from a single tourist family caught off guard by a sudden surge in water levels. Rescue officials have recovered 12 bodies so far, but searches continue for the remaining missing.
In Punjab, the nation’s most populous province, 21 people, including 11 children, perished as flash floods and collapsing homes compounded the toll. Sindh reported 15 deaths, while Balochistan, in the southwest, recorded five fatalities.
The NDMA has put provincial and local officials on high alert as the monsoon season intensifies, particularly in mountainous regions and low-lying areas already saturated by rain.
“National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) of NDMA has issued multiple impact-based weather alerts for various regions of Pakistan in light of forecasted severe weather conditions expected from 2nd to 8th July 2025,” the authority said in a statement. “These alerts highlight the growing risk of flash floods, Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and urban flooding in different parts of the country.”
The NDMA warned that low to moderate rainfall will persist through July 5, setting the stage for an active southwest monsoon system, paired with a westerly wave, to unleash moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms nationwide.
“The most affected regions are upper catchments of major rivers including Central and Lower Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and the northeastern parts of Punjab, particularly Lahore,” the authority noted. The River Kabul faces increased flows, and the Tarbela Dam could hit low flood levels, raising the stakes for downstream communities.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) echoed the alarm, predicting a sharp escalation in monsoon activity starting Friday evening, July 5. Widespread rain, thunderstorms, and heavy downpours are expected through July 10 in areas like Muzaffarabad, Neelum Valley, Rawalakot, Swat, Dir, Malakand, Kohistan, and Chitral. Gilgit-Baltistan, including Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, and Astore, will likely see similar conditions from July 6 to 10.
In Punjab and Islamabad, heavy rain is forecast from July 5 to 10, hitting cities like Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala, and Faisalabad. Southern Punjab, including Multan and Bahawalpur, will get rain from July 6 to 8, while Balochistan and Sindh face scattered showers with isolated heavy falls.
The consequences could be dire. The NDMA cautioned that flash floods threaten riverine areas where nullahs and streams converge, while urban flooding looms over low-lying neighborhoods in cities like Lahore, Sialkot, and Narowal, where local waterways like Aik, Deg, Bein, Basantar, and Palku may overflow. In Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur, hill torrents could trigger localized flooding.
“Simultaneously, the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and landslides has increased in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where ongoing high temperatures have accelerated glacier and snow melt,” the NDMA said. “The situation is further aggravated by incoming moist currents and rainfall.”
Mountainous regions face additional hazards, with landslides and mudslides potentially blocking roads in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Murree, Galliyat, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. The PMD warned that heavy rain, wind, and lightning could topple weak structures, mud houses, electric poles, billboards, across the country.
Authorities are urging vigilance. “Tourists are advised against visiting high-altitude and glacial regions during this period,” the NDMA said, while instructing municipal and district administrations to ready flood response teams and clear storm drains.
Pakistan, home to over 240 million people, is no stranger to nature’s wrath. Ranked among the world’s most vulnerable to climate change, it faces escalating heatwaves, droughts, and torrential rains. The catastrophic floods of 2022, fueled by monsoon rains and glacial melt, killed over 1,700 and left $33 billion in damages—a haunting precedent as this monsoon season unfolds.
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