Pakistan flooding death toll tops 1,000 as rains continue to pour

Disaster Management Authority says 119 people died in the last 24 hours and several countries pledge emergency aid for flood victims.

The death toll from ravaging monsoon floods in Pakistan has crossed 1,000, as several countries, including Qatar and Iran, pledged emergency support in the wake of a deluge that has been described as a “humanitarian disaster of epic proportions”.

The country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Sunday that the toll since June has reached 1,033, with 119 people dying in the last 24 hours. It warned of “very high” level flooding in some areas alongside the Kabul and Indus Rivers, particularly in Nowshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and Kalabagh and Chashma in Punjab province.

Large parts of the country remain submerged – particularly the provinces of Balochistan, KP, and Sindh in the south – as heavy rains continue to lash parts of the country. At least 347 people have died in Sindh followed by Balochistan (238) and KP (226).

The annual monsoon is essential for irrigating crops and replenishing lakes and dams across the Indian subcontinent, but each year it also brings a wave of destruction. This year, precipitation in some regions was 600 percent higher than average.

Officials say this year’s catastrophic flooding has affected more than 33 million people – one in seven Pakistanis – destroying crops, livestock, and nearly a million homes.

Agencies