Pakistan braces for more rains as monsoon death toll rises to 216
As per the National Disaster Management Authority's (NDMA) latest situation report, 216 people have been killed in total since June 26 in rain-related incidents across Pakistan. Among the 216 casualties, 101 are children, 75 males and 40 females.
Punjab reported the highest number of deaths, 135, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with 42, Sindh 21, Balochistan 16 while Azad Kashmir and Islamabad each reported a single death.
'Rain-wind/thundershower is expected in Kashmir, Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, North-East Punjab, Potohar region, Gilgit-Baltistan, North-East/South Balochistan and South Sindh,' the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) wrote on its daily forecast for Monday.
'Isolated heavy falls are expected in Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Potohar region, Kashmir and adjoining hilly areas during the period,' it added.
Pakistan's Met Office warned in a press release on July 18 that monsoon currents penetrating Sindh and upper parts of the country are likely to 'intensify' in the upper and central parts of the country from July 20.
Director General PDMA Irfan Ali Kathia on Sunday instructed district administrations to remain on high alert during the fourth spell of monsoon rains, the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said.
'There is a risk of urban and flash flooding due to heavy rains,' it added.
Monsoon season brings South Asia 70 to 80 percent of its annual rainfall, arriving in early June in India and late June in Pakistan, and lasting through until September.
The annual rains are vital for agriculture and food security, and the livelihoods of millions of farmers. But increasingly erratic and extreme weather patterns are turning the rains into a destructive force.
In 2022, record-breaking monsoon rains combined with glacial melt submerged nearly a third of Pakistan, killing more than 1,700 people and displacing over 8 million. In May, at least 32 people were killed in severe storms, including strong hailstorms.
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