Pakistan’s Deadly Floods

By Tanveer Kaur

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

People in a flooded Pakistani province navigating their way to safety. (Arshad Arbab / EPA)

Pakistan’s recent flooding, caused by the nation’s monsoon season, has had a devastating human toll. Over 1,000 people have died since June 14, while 33 million Pakistani citizens are currently displaced. Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority reported that almost a third of the victims are children. The South Asian nation’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has recently requested foreign aid from its allies and humanitarian agencies.

The floods have caused many parts of the country to become inaccessible. The Kach dam, 80 miles from Quetta, Balochistan’s capital, had broken due to the excessive flooding in the province. People were also killed as a result of landslides in some provinces.

The flooding isn’t a new phenomenon to the nation, however the extent of it is. The extreme weather conditions are a direct implication of climate change. A record-setting monsoon season, alongside melting glaciers, has had severe ramifications for the Pakistani people. According Pakistan’s government, at one point a third of the country was underwater. This claim is backed by the European Space Agency.