111 monsoon-related deaths in Pakistan since late June: PMD

Monsoon rains in Pakistan have been linked to more than 110 deaths including dozens of children since they arrived in late June, according to government figures released on Monday.

Pakistan’s meteorological authorities have issued red alerts across multiple provinces as powerful monsoon systems threaten to trigger flash floods, landslides, and urban inundation through Tuesday, July 15.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warned that “heavy to very heavy rainfall” could unleash flash floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, parts of Balochistan, Kashmir, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

At least six people have died, including four children, while one person was injured over the last 24 hours in rain-related incidents as heavy downpours continue to lash parts of KP, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said on Monday.

Data from the national disaster agency between June 26 and July 14 showed that electrocution was the leading cause of fatalities, followed by flash floods.

In late June, at least 13 tourists were swept to their deaths while sheltering from flash floods on a raised river bank.

In its latest report, the disaster agency said 111 people including 53 children have been killed, with the highest number of deaths in the most populous province of Punjab.

The national meteorological service has issued a warning for further heavy rainfall in the northern and eastern regions of the country, with the potential for urban flooding, landslides, and infrastructure damage due to strong winds.

Monsoon season brings South Asia 70 to 80 per cent 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 it brings with it flooding, landslides and causes buildings to collapse.

In a separate development, the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Environmental Protection Agency has recommended a five-year ban on the construction and expansion of hotels on three famous lakes in Hunza.

In a letter addressed to the Hunza deputy commissioner, the agency recommended an immediate halt to new hotel constructions in central Hunza lacking proper wastewater systems and a five-year moratorium on all hotel-related construction and expansion in central Hunza, Duikar, Attabad, and Borit Lakes.