Continuous flooding has killed at least 170 people in eastern Pakistan, about half of them children, in the latest disaster highlighting the country’s vulnerability to an intensifying climate crisis.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority, at least 54 people have died in the last 24 hours after torrential rains swept through Pakistan’s most populous province of Punjab, sweeping away homes and destroying roads.
At least 85 children have died since the floods began on June 26. Aid agencies are warning that there are growing fears for children, who are particularly at risk of drowning and contracting life-threatening waterborne diseases.
Pakistan declares state of emergencyÂ
Authorities said a state of emergency had been declared in several districts of the province, and military forces had been deployed in the city of Rawalpindi to combat rising floodwaters.
A video released by the Punjab Disaster Management Authority shows dramatic rescue operations as floodwaters inundate entire fields and roads. One shows rescuers saving children on an inflatable raft.
According to Pakistan’s meteorological department, heavy rains continue in Rawalpindi and the nearby capital Islamabad, with more than 100 millimetres of rainfall recorded in many areas on Thursday. Even heavier rain is expected on Friday. Seven camps have been set up across the country to provide food, water, medicine and shelter to those affected by the floods.
Impact of the climate crisis
Pakistan is at the forefront of the climate crisis caused by human activity. The country, with a population of over 230 million, suffers from two powerful weather conditions: one causes scorching heat and drought, and the other brings relentless monsoon rains.
This year’s prolonged heat has accelerated the melting of glaciers in the north of the country, causing flash floods earlier this year.
Deadly floods caused by torrential rains during the monsoon months often make headlines in this South Asian country. This year’s downpour brought back memories of the record floods three years ago.
In 2022, Pakistan experienced the worst flooding in its history, with a third of the country submerged by torrential rains, killing more than 1,000 people.
The floodwaters washed away homes, leaving tens of thousands of people stranded on roads without food or clean drinking water.
When the water began to recede, thousands of people, many of them children, began to suffer from a variety of water-borne diseases. Parents desperately sought help when their children contracted dysentery, dengue fever and malaria. According to UNICEF, a year later, around four million children were still without access to safe water.
