Monsoon Floods Devastate Pakistan

Between June and October 2022, Pakistan endured catastrophic flooding that claimed 1,739 lives, injured nearly 13,000 individuals, and impacted an estimated 33 million residents. The deluge was driven by unusually intense monsoon rains. The southern provinces of Sindh and Balochistan each recorded their wettest August on record, receiving roughly seven and eight times their usual monthly rainfall. The resulting inundation wrecked agricultural valleys, submerged entire districts, and prompted the national government to declare a national emergency on 25 August.

Measuring the full extent of the inundation proved difficult while the waters were still spreading. Preliminary satellite mapping by the United Nations Satellite Centre found that roughly 75,000 square kilometres of land appeared to be affected by floodwaters between 1 and 29 August, a little under a tenth of the country, including some 48,530 square kilometres of cropland. The waters receded only slowly. By November, they had drained from many areas, but large volumes remained stagnant in parts of Sindh and Balochistan, prolonging the crisis for communities there.