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2025 Pakistan floods

The 2025 Pakistan floods were a series of devastating floods triggered by heavy pre-monsoon rains in June 2025 and continuing throughout the monsoon season into September. The disaster primarily affected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Azad Kashmir, causing widespread casualties, infrastructure damage, and mass displacement. The Swat Valley and large parts of Punjab were among the worst-hit areas.

Background
Heavy and flash flooding in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a recurring annual calamity. The region experiences both monsoon-season (July–September) riverine floods and spring/summer flash floods triggered by intense localized rainfall and snow/glacial melt. From 27 to 28 June 2025, intense rainfall upstream caused the Swat River to rise rapidly, precipitating flash floods. Numerous tourist gatherings near the riverbanks were taken aback. Intense rainfall in Indian Punjab caused Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej to overflow which led to India releasing excess water in these rivers to Pakistani Punjab which caused floods in these rivers. ==Impact==
Impact
Reservoirs in both Pakistan and India were near capacity, with Mangla Dam is 87% full, and Tarbela Dam is at 100% capacity. In India, Bhakra Dam is 90% full, Pong Dam is 99% full, and Thein Dam is 97% full. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa floods Flash floods killed at least 32 people. The victims included 18 members of the same extended family, a tourist group, of whom 12 bodies were recovered. Rescue 1122, along with drones and boats, conducted extensive efforts in Swat, Malakand, and Shangla, rescuing dozens and searching intensively for missing persons two days after the floods. Damages include 56 houses (50 partially, 6 destroyed) in various districts, including Swat, Abbottabad, Charsadda, Malakand, Shangla, Lower Dir, and Torghar. Social media footage of stranded tourists pleading for rescue stirred public anger over the absence of helicopters and the delayed response. While some defended limitations of KP's resources, others pointed out that the absence of provincial helicopters caused critical delays. Four senior Swat officials: Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Swat, Rescue 1122's district head, Zahidullah Khan, Tehsil Municipal Officer (TMO) of Khawazakhela and Assistant Commissioner (AC) Babuzai were suspended. Compensation of Rs 1.5 million announced for each victim’s family. Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shahab Ali Shah acknowledged a '45‑minute window' to act and termed the response lapse as turning a "small mistake into a major tragedy." A three-member committee led by the Assistant Commissioner of Bahrain was established to identify and remove structures violating the KP River Protection Act (2014). 2025 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa flash floods By late August unprecedented floods had affected the entire province with the Buner District worst hit due to flash floods between 14 and 15 August, Buner alone recorded 228 deaths out of the 504 provincial total and 200 missing. A government helicopter involved in search and rescue operation crashed on 15 August due to bad weather, killing all 5 people on board. The flooding caused widespread casualties, extensive property damage, and severely disrupted rescue operations across several districts including Buner, Swat and Bajaur. Rescue operations were hampered by washed-out roads, communication breakdowns, and adverse weather. KP's Rescue 1122 services, provincial disaster authorities, and local communities are engaged in evacuations and relief delivery, though challenges continue. In Mansehra’s mountainous areas, 1,300 tourists were evacuated from rain-stricken zones. Swat District was also flooded: over 2,000 residents and tourists were moved to higher ground as the Swat River and other streams surged. KPK Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur announced a day of mourning, with flags at half-mast. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered comprehensive flood relief operations, mobilizing federal and provincial resources to assist affected communities. Buner District was the epicenter – a state of emergency was declared there after flash floods inundated the Pir Baba area, where at least 90 people perished. On 15 August, a Mil Mi-17 operated by the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa crashed in bad weather while carrying relief goods to rain-affected areas of Bajaur District, killing all five people on board. The aircraft lost contact while en route over Mohmand District. A day of mourning was announced. Affected areas According to NDMA, at least 2521 buildings were damaged, including 701 completely destroyed, across multiple districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa such as Swat, Abbottabad, Charsadda, Malakand, Shangla, Lower Dir, and Torghar. The floods struck dozens of mountainous districts in KP. The worst-affected areas were in northern and central KP, including Buner (Pir Baba and Daggar), Bajaur (especially the Salarzai Tehsil), Battagram, Mansehra, Shangla, Lower Dir, Swat, and Abbottabad Districts also reported significant fatalities, injuries, and property damage. Buner emerged as the most severely affected district in terms of casualties and property damage. Local officials confirmed 158 fatalities in Buner alone, marking the highest death toll in the province. India’s opening of dam gates in Jammu and Kashmir after reservoirs reached full capacity caused sudden downstream surges, prompting emergency flood alerts and evacuations in Punjab, Pakistan. Multiple breaches had to be done to protect the Qadirabad, Suleimanki and Khanki headworks from flood flows of up to one million cusecs. Ravi river whose water had been diverted to India as part of the Indus Waters Treaty and which had greatly shrank from its original size, received unprecedented flood flows submerging many settlements built on the river bed, submerging even parts of Lahore. The floods claimed over 300 lives, in various districts of Punjab. According to NDMA, displacement exceeded 4.7 million people in Punjab with nearly 2.8 million evacuated. The numbers were later significantly reduced to about 150,000 displaced and 2.7 million evacuated. Over 300 pilgrims were rescued by the Rescue 1122 and the Armed forces, the water levels reached heights of up to 10-12 feet but were largely removed once the flood waters receded. Over 150,000 to 210,000 people were evacuated proactively following Indian flood alerts and domestic forecasting. Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, a Sikh temple, was inundated following overflow of the Ravi river, flood waters reached heights of 10–12 feet. The pilgrims were rescued by a collective effort of the Rescue 1122 and Armed Forces. The water was soon removed once the river levels subsided with restoration work underway. Punjab, considered the breadbasket of Pakistan lost over 2.2 million hectares of farmland. 8,400 villages were inundated and livestock swept away. Punjab also had a significant amount of road network swept away, including a portion of the M-5 motorway (Pakistan) connecting Sukkur and Multan near Jalalpur Pirwala. Sindh Intense rainfall across much of the province submerged vast areas. Karachi received up to 163mm of rain in a single day the highest since 1979, this triggered urban flooding and much of the traffic came to a standstill, with many having to spend the entire night on road. Electricity infrastructure was also hit with many feeders tripping as a result of the rain. 10 people were killed as a result of the urban flooding due to multiple reasons. A total of 80 deaths and 87 were injured according to NDMA with 224 houses fully and 57 partially destroyed. Balochistan Floods have killed 30 and injured 5 in Balochistan. A total of 3006 houses have been fully destroyed while 2080 partially destroyed according to the NDMA. Azad Kashmir 38 people died by flooding in Azad Kashmir. 2078 houses were fully and 339 were partially destroyed as a result of the floods, according to the NDMA. Gilgit-Baltistan In Gilgit-Baltistan 41 people died due to floods and 481 houses were fully and 779 partially destroyed according to the NDMA. == Impact ==
Impact
The 2025 monsoon floods in Pakistan caused widespread devastation across multiple provinces. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergency Situation Report #8 (6 September 2025), 910 people were reported dead and 1,044 injured due to the flooding. == Humanitarian aid and response ==
Humanitarian aid and response
International and national agencies mobilized to provide emergency relief. The European Union pledged Rs350 million in aid, alongside contributions from various NGOs and humanitarian organizations. Efforts focused on providing food, clean water, medical care, and temporary shelter, while authorities coordinated recovery and rehabilitation plans. ==Rescue and response==
Rescue and response
Emergency operations KP's Rescue 1122 deployed approximately 120 personnel across eight locations in Swat to rescue dozens, though officials acknowledged significant operational shortcomings during the initial response. An emergency flood control room was also established in Peshawar on the directives of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. In July, approximately 1,594 people were rescued nationwide during flood-related emergencies. By late August and into September, the Pakistan Armed Forces played a central role in rescue operations conducting mass evacuations, airlifting supplies, deploying drones, and setting up relief camps in Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. International Although Pakistan did not issue a formal appeal for international assistance, several governments and organizations delivered emergency support: International Organizations • released US$600,000 in emergency funds, while the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched a CHF 17 million appeal alongside the Pakistan Red Crescent Society. • Welthungerhilfe committed €500,000 (≈ US $550,000) to provide food, hygiene kits, seeds, and infrastructure repairs. • Caritas Pakistan provided aid including food and hygiene kits to 17,500 people and set up 15 medical camps. Countries • pledged £3.4 million (≈ US $4.2 million) for humanitarian preparedness in Sindh. • announced a US$6 million grant to rebuild homes in Balochistan. • via CENTCOM, delivered life-saving supplies on C-17 aircraft and coordinated disaster response with the NDMA. ==Criticism==
Criticism
From federal and Punjab provincial governments • Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari slammed KP's handling of recovered bodies, stating that transporting them in garbage dumpers was "deeply disrespectful." She, along with the Punjab Assembly, called for CM Gandapur's moral resignation. • Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar described the incident as a "governance failure," questioning why stronger leadership actions were not taken; KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi echoed calls for Gandapur's resignation due to this "shameful failure". From public and activists • Social media footage of stranded tourists pleading for rescue stirred public anger over the absence of helicopters and the delayed response. • While some defended limitations of KP's resources, others pointed out that the absence of provincial helicopters caused critical delays. ==Aftermath==
Aftermath
Government accountability Four senior Swat officials: Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Swat, Rescue 1122's district head, Zahidullah Khan, Tehsil Municipal Officer (TMO) of Khawazakhela and Assistant Commissioner (AC) Babuzai were suspended. ==See also==
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