Pakistan Rains: 87 People Killed And More Than 80 Injured Amid Heavy Rains

In Pakistan, the death toll has risen to 87 due to ongoing rain havoc in the country over the past week, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

It was reported by the NDMA on Friday that 2,715 houses across the country have been partially or fully damaged by rains, with most deaths occurring due to structural collapse.

Pakistan Rains Creates Havoc

Damages and casualties were predominantly reported in the restive northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where 36 people were killed and 53 others injured as a result of torrential rains. In the Punjab province, at least 25 deaths and eight injuries were reported, according to the NDMA, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

In the southwestern Balochistan province, a total of 15 people were killed and 10 others injured, while in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, 11 people died and 11 others were injured due to heavy rains during the period, as further disclosed by the authority. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief and sorrow over the deaths and property damage caused by the heavy rains.

Relief activities in the affected areas have been advised to be expedited by the concerned departments, and efforts to reopen roads closed due to rains and landslides have been accelerated. Meanwhile, it has been predicted by the NDMA that rains across Pakistan will persist until April 22, and that rains, landslides, and flash floods may occur during the second spell from April 25 to 29, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

Pakistan's Rains Attributed to Climate Change: Meteorological Dept

Heavier rainfall in April due to climate change has been noted in Pakistan, as earlier stated by Zaheer Ahmed Babar, a senior official at the Pakistan Meteorological Department. Babar informed The Associated Press that there has been 256% above-normal rainfall in Baluchistan thus far.

He further stated that overall rainfall this month across Pakistan has exceeded normal levels by 61%, indicating the impact of climate change in the country.

Babar mentioned that Pakistan's water reservoirs would benefit from the rains. Additionally, Rafay Alam, a Pakistani environmental expert, remarked on the unusually heavy April rainfall, linking it to climate change. Alam highlighted that two years ago, Pakistan experienced a heatwave in March and April, which has now been replaced by heavy rains, attributed to climate change that caused severe flooding in 2022.

In 2022, extensive downpours caused rivers to swell and flooded a third of Pakistan, resulting in the deaths of 1,739 people. The floods also caused damages amounting to $30 billion, from which Pakistan is still recovering, as reported by India TV.

Similar Conditions in Afghanistan

Afghanistan, the neighbouring nation, is currently experiencing a similar rain-related situation this month. Media reports indicate that heavy rain and floods in 23 Afghan provinces have led to the deaths of approximately 70 people and injuries to over 50 others. Large swaths of agricultural lands have been destroyed, and livestock losses have occurred in some districts, as reported by TOLO News, quoting Nangyali Samoon, spokesperson for the Kandahar Department of Agriculture, as reported by the agency.

The flooding has also caused extensive damage to agricultural land and over 85 km (53 miles) of roads, according to Abdullah Janan Saiq, the Taliban's spokesman for the State Ministry for Natural Disaster Management. Saiq stated that authorities in Afghanistan have provided aid to nearly 23,000 families, with reports of flash floods in 20 of the country's 34 provinces.