Deadly rains have claimed more lives in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 409 in the province. In the last 24 hours, at least 13 people lost their lives and 52 others sustained injuries in rain-related incidents as relentless downpours battered several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) over the weekend.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the cumulative death toll from floods and rains in the province has climbed to 409 since mid-August, with 251 injured. Among the deceased are 305 men, 55 women and 49 children, while the injured include 183 men, 38 women and 30 children. The calamity has destroyed 578 houses and partially damaged nearly 3,000 homes across KP.
In Dera Ismail Khan alone, torrential rains and fierce winds killed eight people and injured 48, while three children died in Lower Dir after a house collapse. Separate casualties were reported in Mardan and Upper Kohistan. Windstorms, reaching up to 100 km/h, uprooted trees, damaged infrastructure, collapsed walls, and crippled the local power supply.
Hospitals declared emergencies to handle the influx of injured, while Commissioner Zafarul Islam Khattak appealed to residents to avoid unnecessary travel and assured that all resources would be used for relief operations.
Punjab on High Alert
Meanwhile, the Punjab government has been placed on high alert amid rising river levels. India has warned of a “high flood” in the Tawi River at Jammu, prompting emergency measures downstream. Rescue operations in Punjab have already shifted over 21,000 people from vulnerable areas.
The Chenab River basin remains a key concern, with inflows rising at Khanki and Qadirabad. The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) has warned of possible high floods in both the Chenab and Indus rivers within 24 hours. The Sutlej River at Ganda Singh Wala is also expected to remain in high flood for several days.
Flash floods are anticipated in nullahs of Dera Ghazi Khan and northeastern Balochistan, while urban flooding is likely in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Gujranwala. Heavy rainfall is forecast across upper Punjab between August 25–27.
Displacement and Crop Damage
In Vehari district, the release of water from India worsened flooding in the Sutlej, submerging rural areas. Authorities have established tent villages to house displaced residents, with more than 370 people and 26 cattle already relocated.
Sahiwal and nearby districts have also been hit hard, where over 1,450 people and 450 livestock were displaced in just two days. Vast swathes of farmland remain underwater, devastating standing crops across thousands of acres.
In Narowal, sudden flooding in Nala Auj forced the evacuation of 30 residents, while Section 144 was imposed after villagers drowned in Nala Dek.
Former Punjab chief minister Manzoor Ahmad Khan Wattoo demanded the government declare affected areas as calamity-hit and condemned India’s water release as “water terrorism.”
National Situation
Nationwide, since June 26, torrential rains and floods have claimed 788 lives and injured 1,018, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). More than 6,600 houses have been destroyed, and over 5,500 livestock perished.
The worst-hit province remains KP, with 469 deaths, followed by Punjab with 165. The NDMA confirmed that more than 25,600 individuals have been rescued in 512 operations across the country as relief efforts continue amid worsening flood conditions.
