n Pakistan, constant rains and devastating floods have wreaked havoc across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, destroying infrastructure, agricultural lands, and several homes.
Over 400 people have lost their lives since the 15th of August, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority.
The aftermath poses even greater risks, with rising cases of waterborne and skin diseases such as diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, dengue, and malaria.
Thousands, including many children, are being treated at emergency medical camps set up by the government and NGOs. Authorities say early recovery efforts are underway, with a focus on transparency and timely relief.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been the worst-hit region in Pakistan, with torrential rains and flash floods killing more than 400 people, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority. Thousands of houses in Swat have reportedly been damaged, with losses worth billions of rupees.
Punjab province is on high alert and 19,000 people have been evacuated as rivers have surged again with a new monsoon spell. A 7km (4-mile) lake was created in Gilgit, in northern Pakistan, after a mountain mudslide on Friday.
Since the monsoon season began in late June, 788 people have died in heavy rains that have caused flash floods and glacial lake outbursts sweeping away roads, villages, livestock and farmland and resulting in the displacement of thousands of people across Pakistan. According to figures released by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday, the deaths include 200 children, 117 women and 471 men.
Buner, a district adjacent to Swat, reported the highest death toll, with more than 200 people killed as torrential rains and flash floods wiped out downstream villages. Almost 100 people are still missing.
On a visit to Buner last Wednesday, the prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, told residents: “It is Qayamat – doomsday – for you. It is for us as well. If we want to prepare for it [floods], we need to make policies. If we don’t, God won’t forgive us.”
The government and authorities have been facing a backlash for allowing the construction of hotels and restaurants on riversides, and poor urban planning. Residents in Swat have told the Guardian that while the provincial government has started to crack down on illegal construction, a federal minister was among those who had built a resort near a river.