Interface News Reporter | Cai Xingzhuo
Interface News Editor | Liu Haichuan
According to the CCTV news client, on April 20, 2024 local time, the National Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan reported that since April 13, various disasters caused by continuous heavy rains across Pakistan have caused at least 98 deaths and 89 injuries. According to a report by Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was the worst-hit region, with 46 people killed by various disasters caused by heavy rains. In addition, the meteorological department expects that many provinces will continue to be affected by heavy rain in the next 12 hours, and there is a possibility of snowfall.
Pakistani President Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Shehbaz issued separate statements on April 19, expressing condolences for the loss of life caused by the recent torrential rains and expressing condolences to the families of the victims. Shahbaz also instructed the National Disaster Management Agency and other relevant central and local government agencies to speed up their actions, do their utmost to provide emergency assistance to the people in the affected areas, and speed up the repair of broken roads and bridges in various places.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have been hit by torrential rains over the past week, with floods causing extensive damage to infrastructure and farmland along the border, The Guardian reported on April 19. A total of at least 135 people were reported dead in both countries, including 21 farmers in Pakistan's Punjab province who were struck by lightning while harvesting wheat. In addition, thousands of houses were damaged or destroyed, and several deaths were caused by the collapse of roofs under the weight of standing water. In addition to the destruction of nearly 100,000 acres of agricultural land, thousands of livestock have also lost their lives.
Extreme rainfall contrasts with a rare dry winter. In winter, Afghanistan receives only about half the usual amount of rainfall, which exacerbates flooding due to dry soils that struggle to absorb rainwater. In Pakistan, it is unusual for so much rainfall to fall outside of the monsoon season (which usually lasts from June to September). Rainfall across Pakistan is almost twice as heavy as the average rainfall in April, while Balochistan, the worst-affected province, has seen more than three times the average rainfall so far in April.
The floods in Afghanistan and Pakistan coincided with torrential rains that swept through the Gulf region, with record rains in the United Arab Emirates and Oman that killed at least 20 people in both countries. The New York Times reported on April 18 that authorities predicted more flooding and rain in the future, and some experts believe that climate change may be blamed for the heavy rains.
It is worth mentioning that in 2022, a devastating monsoon season just hit Pakistan, killing more than 1,700 people and affecting about 33 million people. The flood caused billions of dollars in damage and sparked an international discussion about the environmental costs of global warming, including about poor countries disproportionately bearing the burden.
*Image source: Visual China