More than 120 people have died in Pakistan due to climate-related incidents in the past weeks, as the country braces for the onset of the monsoon season.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) revealed that a total of 124 people, including 63 children, have perished across the country since June 26.
More than 120 people have died in the past three weeks.
Nine members of a family drowned when they were swept away by overflowing floodwaters in the Swat River.
The NDMA has found that about two-thirds of the deaths were caused by house collapses and flash floods.
While drowning accounted for just more than one in 10 of the deaths.
Pakistan has a population in excess of 250 million, is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change.
It has experienced repeated environmental disasters, most notably the devastating floods of 2022 which killed nearly 1,700 people and displaced more than 30 million nationwide.
Who lost their homes and livestock or suffered crop damage or losses.
According to estimates at the time, the 2022 floods caused $14.8bn in damage to property and land and a loss of $15.2bn in the country’s gross domestic product.
Pakistan’s government blames the lack of assistance from the international community in urgently addressing the climate emergency.
Which is causing flash floods and other disasters.Some experts say the government’s inaction has compounded the current situation.
How is climate change in Pakistan affecting the crisis?
South Asian nations, including Pakistan, typically receive 70 to 80 percent of their annual rainfall during the monsoon season.
which lasts from late June to September. This year, damage caused by monsoons is compounded by extreme heat in the country’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.
Region recorded temperatures above 48 degrees Celsius , despite being situated at least 1,200 metres (4,000ft) above sea level.
Gilgit-Baltistan is home to thousands of glaciers and attracts climbers from across the globe.
A study last year by Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change and the Italian research institute estimated that the country host more than 13,000 glaciers.
