Monsoon rains and flash floods have caused 156 deaths in almost six weeks in Pakistan, Pakistani authorities revealed today, as bad weather continues across much of the country.
More than 1,800 houses have been damaged since 1 July, when the monsoon rains began, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.
Orchards in remote areas of the south-western province of Baluchistan have also been damaged and the rains have flooded many streets in the eastern city of Lahore.
Pakistan is in the middle of the annual monsoon season, which runs from July to September. Scientists and meteorologists blame climate change for the heavy rains of recent years.
In 2022, when the rains caused by the climate filled the rivers and flooded a third of the country at one point, more than 1,739 people died and losses totaling 30 billion dollars were recorded.
This monsoon season, the part of the disputed region of Kashmir administered by Pakistan was also hit by the rains, causing landslides.
Many of the 156 deaths occurred in the eastern provinces of Punjab and north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the disaster agency and provincial authorities.
Nearly 300 people have also been injured in rain-related incidents, and the authorities are providing free food and medical care to those affected by the rain, officials emphasized.
Currently, more than 2,000 people are in relief camps in areas affected by the rains in the southern province of Sindh.
According to meteorologists, the latest wave of rains will continue until next Monday.
The aid group International Rescue Committee emphasised today that it is preparing to step up its response in Pakistan, with the impending rains posing a threat to the lives and livelihoods of millions of people.
"Our priority is to ensure that affected communities receive timely and adequate support to prevent this humanitarian crisis from deepening," the group's Pakistan director, Shabnam Baloch, emphasized in a statement.
