ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Pakistan is dealing with a disastrous flood emergency in 2025 triggered by relentless monsoon rainfall, flash floods, and glacial lake outburst flooding, which killed more than 800 people and impacted over 1.2 million people in several provinces.
The floods have destroyed communities, infrastructure, and exacerbated economic difficulties, with potential losses amounting to $50 billion.
Since June 2025, Pakistan has been hit by heavy flooding in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sindh, Balochistan, and Gilgit-Baltistan. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), more than 800 people have lost their lives, with KP being hardest hit—more than 400 lives lost, including over 200 in Buner district alone.
At least 30 fatalities were reported in Punjab while more than 1.5 million people were displaced as rivers such as the Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab overflowed, the worst flood to hit the province in 39 years. Karachi, meanwhile, has experienced intense urban flooding with 163 mm of rain, resulting in at least 52 fatalities and inundating drainage systems.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, glacial lake outbursts have killed more than 50 people. A 7-km-long lake in Ghizer district continues to pose a threat of catastrophic flooding.
Over 7,225 homes are damaged or destroyed, crops and livestock are wiped out, and critical infrastructure like roads and bridges are severed, leaving villages isolated and complicated rescue operations.
The NDMA puts the number of people hit at more than 1.2 million, with 250,000 forced out of their homes, most into more than 300 relief camps in Punjab, although take-up is low due to fears about livestock.
The floods have caused serious economic loss, adding to Pakistan’s already beleaguered finances. Crop and livestock destruction imperils food security, especially in agricultural centers such as Punjab and Sindh, while broken infrastructure disrupts trade and communication.
Economic damages are estimated to amount to as much as $50 billion, which will top the $30 billion cost of the 2022 floods. The crisis puts a strain on Pakistan’s economy, already suffering from inflation and a volatile Pakistani Rupee (PKR), thus affecting the cost of imports and debt repayment.
Remittances from abroad, a vital economic lifeline, come under pressure as families divert funds towards flood relief. The government’s meager climate resilience budget, combined with profligate defense expenditure, has been criticized for compromising readiness, with X posts pointing out elite corruption and institutional loopholes as exacerbating concerns.
