Pakistan braces for more rainfall days after deadly floods
ISLAMABAD: Torrential rains that have lashed Pakistan since June, claiming more than 200 lives, are set to continue in the coming days, according to the country's weather agency.
Swathes of Punjab province have seen above-normal precipitation in the past two weeks, with many places getting 150 millimeters (6 inches) above historical averages in that period, according to the US Climate Prediction Center.
The country's disaster management authorities have estimated this year's monsoon to be 65% more intense than last year, and that future rainy seasons are likely to be more severe and start earlier.
Pakistan has been pummeled by a series of extreme effects of climate change in recent years, including heat waves and prolonged flooding in 2022 that killed more than 1,700 people and caused about US$40 billion in damage.
"Pakistan contributes minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions but ranks among the top ten most climate-vulnerable countries,' Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement addressing disaster management last week.
"It is a challenge, but also an opportunity to build a climate-resilient nation, especially in agriculture and infrastructure,' he said.
Collapsed buildings have been a leading cause of death in recent weeks, killing at least 136 people as of July 21, a sign that infrastructure resilience remains a major challenge for a country that sees heavy rains most years.
This year's death toll exposes a persistent lack of preparedness since 8 million people were displaced in the 2022 floods.
According to Germanwatch, an environmental NGO, Pakistan was the country most affected by climate impacts that year, with disasters taking off 4% from the country's GDP.
More extreme events are likely to further strain the country's fragile economy, plagued by debt, political instability and a chronic energy crisis.
Climate change may dent the modest progress made in the past two years after fresh loans were granted by the International Monetary Fund. - Bloomberg
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