A surge of severe weather has hit South Asia, causing destruction along the way. Intense and continuous rainfall in Pakistan, India-administered Kashmir, and Nepal has led to devastating floods and landslides, resulting in over 400 fatalities in just a few days. The humanitarian impact keeps escalating as rescue squads find it difficult to access isolated, flooded communities.
- In Pakistan, monsoon rains inundated rivers and drainage systems, flooding whole communities. Officials in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have announced states of emergency, as numerous houses have been wrecked and key highways are still obstructed by flooding waters. In Kashmir administered by India, sudden floods caused lethal landslides, carrying off vehicles and ensnaring families beneath rubble. Rescue teams, accompanied by military units, have been fighting against both the weather and the clock to extract survivors from the debris.
Nepal has been affected severely as well, with mountainous areas experiencing unprecedented landslides. The roads connecting rural villages to cities have fallen apart, severing vital supply lines. The authorities have cautioned that the number of fatalities could increase as additional bodies are found in isolated areas.
- Humanitarian organizations estimate that more than half a million individuals have been forced to leave their homes across the three areas. Ongoing rainfall and compromised infrastructure are hindering relief efforts, increasing concerns about the spread of waterborne illnesses in temporary camps. Global entities, such as the Red Cross and UN humanitarian groups, have requested immediate assistance to avert an escalating disaster.
“When the rain intensified, it wasn’t long before I felt as if an earthquake had struck — the whole ground was shaking,” said Farhad Ali, a student living in Salarzai, in hard-hit northern Pakistan.
“In the pouring rain, my entire family ran outside, and we saw a torrent of mud and massive boulders rushing through the stream near our house. It felt like doomsday had arrived, with scenes straight out of the end of the world.”
- Torrential rains, huge landslides and deadly floodwaters ripped through the region in recent weeks after a particularly fierce monsoon season began in early June, washing out entire neighborhoods and reducing homes to rubble.
Rain across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is expected to intensify from Sunday according to Pakistan’s Meteorological Department which is warning of more flash floods and urban flooding. Social media footage showed huge streams of brown water rushing through the province. Authorities urged residents to avoid tourist areas and not cross rivers during the floods.
- It comes after India’s Meteorological Department said on We dnesday that the rainfall was due to a “cloudburst,” which is a sudden and heavy downpour of more than 100 millimeters (4 inches) of rain in just one hour.
Analysts warned the human-made climate crisis has exacerbated the intensity and frequency of seasonal floods in the Himalayas this year.
- Dramatic video shared on social media showed roads turned into raging rivers, while the downpour devastated entire buildings and swept away vehicles in Indian-administered Kashmir.
- In one of the clips, a wall of water, mud and debris could be seen rolling down the mountainside.
- Frantic rescue operations persisted across the region, with army and police personnel working to find those missing. Some of the rescued people have been taken to hospitals.
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