The toll due to floods and other rain-related incidents in Pakistan rose to 1,486 on Wednesday, the country’s National Disaster Management Authority said.
Five person died due to floods in the past 24 hours, including three in Balochistan and two in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Two of those who died were children.
The Sindh province has recorded the most number of deaths (638) in the three months from June 14 to September 14. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for 305 fatalities, while 281 persons died in Balochistan.
Flash floods and landslides in Pakistan after months of heavy rains have displaced nearly 3.3 crore people in the country, which has a population of 23 crore.
The country received 190% more rain than its 30-year average between June and August.
Since June 14, floods and other rain-related incidents have damaged 17,60,372 homes across Pakistan, according to the disaster management authority. The floods have also damaged 12,718 roads and 390 bridges in the country.
Earlier this week, authorities rushed to protect an electricity station in the Dadu district of Sindh amid the threat of flooding, Reuters reported. The electricity station supplies power to six districts in the province.
“All preventive measures have been taken already to save the grid in case any flooding happens,” Syed Murtaza Ali, a senior district official, told the news agency.
On Monday, Pakistan’s National Flood Response Coordination Centre said that the floods may have led to economic losses and damages of over $40 billion (over Rs 3.17 lakh crore). The initial assessment of losses was $18 billion (more than Rs 1.43 lakh crore).
The new estimate was flagged in a flood response meeting during a discussion on a report presented by the Ministry of Finance.
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