Pakistan Flooding

Rare cloudbursts have triggered flash floods in the northwest of Pakistan. Water is sweeping through mountain villages and causing widespread destruction. Cloudbursts are sudden downpours, dumping over 4 inches of rain in just one hour, causing huge floods.

Pakistan’s monsoon season always brings heavy rain, but this year’s storms have been unusually intense. Although local communities are used to monsoon rains, the intensity and speed of these cloudbursts caught people off guard. Homes have been crushed by floodwater and landslides, sweeping away entire villages. People have described watching everything they own being washed away or buried.

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Flooding damage. Image credit: Islamic Relief Pakistan.

 We already have partners in northern Pakistan, responding to devastating monsoon floods that have left tens of thousands of people in crisis. We’re looking to send another team to Islamabad in the coming days to work closely with Islamic Relief Pakistan (IRP). They will discuss how best to support people displaced by flooding and landslides.

We’re getting ready to respond with emergency shelter, which families urgently need. We have emergency shelter and other essential items available in Pakistan, so we’re ready to respond in these moments. This is because the country is vulnerable to extreme weather and other disasters.

It’s peak monsoon season and more heavy rain is expected, so we’re focusing on what people need and where that need is highest. We know there’s been significant damage to homes, roads, and crops. We’re gathering as much information as we can.

We’ll be looking at items such as tarpaulins and rope so people can make temporary repairs to damaged homes. People also need items like water filters, water carriers, and mosquito nets, especially with the increased risk of disease after flooding. August – November is the season for dengue and malaria in these areas.

We partnered with Islamic Relief Pakistan during our 2022 – 2024 response to severe monsoon flooding. We also responded to flooding in 2012 and an earthquake in 2013.

Flooding damage. Image credit: Islamic Relief Pakistan.

Since late June, Pakistan has been battered by unusually heavy monsoon rains. This has triggered deadly landslides and flash floods across the country. While monsoon season typically runs from July to September, with peak rainfall in August, this year’s storms have arrived earlier and with devastating force.

Hundreds of people have already lost their lives due to sudden floods and collapsing homes — and the death toll is expected to rise. Thousands more have seen their homes destroyed, their livestock swept away, and their crops ruined. Rural communities have been hit hardest. Buner district in the northwest is suffering catastrophic damage. Entire villages were wiped out in moments, as floods and massive rocks surged down from the hills.

Despite early warning systems, the speed and intensity of these floods left little time to react. Search and rescue is now the top priority. Yet because of the scale of disaster, the government’s resources are thin. They have called for national and international assistance.

Ongoing heavy rains continue to hamper relief efforts. Many villages in Pakistan are built on steep slopes and riverbanks. This makes it especially vulnerable to landslides and flash floods. Deforestation and unstable terrains also increase the risk.

This crisis is a stark reminder of Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change. Though Pakistan contributes less than 1% of global carbon emissions, it faces increasingly frequent and intense weather events that threaten lives, homes, and livelihoods.