ISLAMABAD: The devastating Pakistan floods have killed 670 people and left more than 1,000 injured, officials confirmed. The monsoon disaster has triggered mass evacuations, with 25,000 people shifted to safer locations.
Relief work is being led by the Pakistan Army, NDMA, and government agencies. Rescue teams remain active in flood-hit areas, working day and night to reach stranded families.
DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that, on the instructions of Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, soldiers, aviation units, and rescue teams are fully engaged in operations. So far, 6,903 people have been rescued, while more than 6,000 have received medical treatment in army-run relief camps.
Special medical teams from CMH and army battalions have been deployed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Gilgit-Baltistan. Army helicopters are delivering food and medicines to cut-off valleys. Engineers are repairing roads and bridges destroyed by the floods.
“One day’s ration of the Pakistan Army has been allocated for the victims,” DG ISPR confirmed. He said 90 roads in KP had been washed away, but efforts to restore them are already underway.
Federal Government’s Response
Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the government has expanded relief operations after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s orders. So far, 1,200 tents have been dispatched to flood-affected areas, along with a medical team from PIMS Hospital.
Power supply in Swat, Shangla, and Bajaur, which was badly hit by the monsoon floods, has been 70% restored. The Energy Minister is personally monitoring work on the ground. Roads in Malakand, Bisham, and the N-90 highway have also been reopened for traffic.
“The Prime Minister has made it clear that in this difficult time, we are all one,” Tarar added.
NDMA Issues Fresh Warning
NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik said the flooding in Pakistan was caused by glacier melting and intense cloudbursts in the northern areas. He warned of another heavy spell of rain starting on August 23 and urged provincial authorities to stay on high alert.
The NDMA has dispatched its third batch of relief supplies under the PM’s Ration Package, including food and medicines, to five districts of KP. Malik confirmed that 50% of highway restoration is already complete. A detailed survey is being carried out to assess the total losses caused by the disaster.
The Pakistan floods have once again highlighted the country’s vulnerability to climate change, as communities brace for another possible wave of destruction.
