Monsoon flooding kills 37 as rain, landslides batter north and Punjab

At least 37 people have died in rain-related incidents as heavy monsoon showers continue to batter large parts of Pakistan, with flash floods, landslides and swollen waterways causing damage across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, according to official reports cited by Dawn. The worst impacts reported so far include damaged houses, washed-out roads, ruined crops and losses of livestock, leaving many communities dealing with both immediate safety concerns and longer recovery needs. In Punjab, record rainfall was reported in parts of Gujranwala and Sialkot, adding pressure to already waterlogged areas and increasing the risk of flooding in low-lying settlements. Officials also said river flows had risen at key headworks on the Chenab system. The provincial disaster management authority placed Marala and Khanki at medium flood level and Qadirabad at low flood level, reflecting concern over rising water levels downstream. The situation comes as authorities and residents in affected areas monitor whether more rain and upstream releases will worsen conditions further. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the death toll from flash floods and other rain-linked incidents climbed to 20, while Punjab recorded 17 deaths, according to the summary provided. One of the latest incidents reported in KP was in North Waziristan, where two men drowned after being swept away by a flash flood in the Tochi River. Rescue 1122 said the bodies were later recovered. The rescue service said flood-like conditions persisted in the river because of exceptionally high water levels. That assessment highlights how quickly conditions can become dangerous in hilly and riverine districts during the monsoon, especially where roads, bridges and communication lines are vulnerable to washouts. At the same time, the KP disaster management authority said water levels and flows in rivers and streams across the province were normal, and district administrations had been instructed to remain alert. The difference in assessments suggests conditions may be changing quickly from one district to another, or that localised flooding is affecting only some channels and catchments. The Pakistan Meteorological Department said the current spell of rain, which began on July 19, is expected to continue in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa until July 23. That leaves several days of heightened risk for landslides, flash floods and urban flooding, especially in areas already saturated by earlier rain. The feed summary also says India increased the release of excess water substantially, though it was not officially confirmed there. That development matters because any rise in cross-border water flows can add pressure to already swollen rivers in Pakistan, but the precise impact remains unclear from the available details. For affected families, the immediate concerns are access, shelter and safety. For local administrations, the challenge is to keep roads open, maintain river monitoring and move people out of danger zones before further rainfall creates new hazards. With several provinces affected at once, the scale of the event is stretching rescue and relief capacity across a wide area. What remains unclear from the available information is the full extent of displacement, how many homes have been damaged, and whether additional deaths have been reported beyond the figures cited in the feed. Even so, the picture is already severe: a broad monsoon emergency with fatalities, infrastructure damage and rising river levels across multiple regions.

Source: Dawn Home - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017677/rains-wreak-havoc-on-kp-gb-and-punjab-as-death-toll-rises-to-37