2024 Afghanistan–Pakistan floods

2024 Afghanistan–Pakistan floods

Duration	6 March 2024 – current
Location	Afghanistan, Pakistan
Cause	Heavy rainfall, flash floods
Deaths	569+
Non-fatal injuries	1,748+

Since March 2024, heavy rains and flash flooding in Afghanistan and Pakistan killed nearly 600 people, and injured many more. The floods were caused by unseasonal heavy rains, lightning and storms that swept across the two neighboring countries. This extensively damaged infrastructure and agriculture.

Damage and casualties

Afghanistan

During floods in April, over 100 people died and 54 were injured due to heavy rains and floods in 23 provinces. At least 2,134 houses were destroyed and 10,789 livestock were killed. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan reported that heavy rains and floods affected more than 25,000 families and damaged nearly 1,000 houses. Department spokesman Janan Sayeq reported that most casualties occurred due to roof collapses. Over 600 km (370 mi) of road and 9,271 hectares (22,910 acres) of agricultural land were flooded.

On 11 May, the Afghan World Food Program office said the floods killed 330 people and injured 1,600 others. In Baghlan Province, 300 died, 100 others were injured, 1,000 houses were destroyed and many more damaged. In Baghlani Jadid District, 100 people were killed and 1,500 houses sustained damage. Another 20 people died and 80 more were injured in Takhar Province, while another three were killed in Herat Province. The provinces of Badakhshan and Ghor were also affected.

Pakistan

On March 6, heavy rains caused a landslide in Swat District, killing over 40 people.

Throughout April, a further 99 people, including 44 children, were killed and 94 were injured in additional floods, which damaged over 3,500 houses and 464 schools. The most affected province was Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where 64 deaths were recorded, followed by Punjab with 21 deaths and Balochistan with 15 deaths. Torrential rains caused floods and power outages in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. A majority of the deaths were caused by lightning killing farmers harvesting wheat crops, and rains causing homes to collapse. Streets in several cities were flooded. Rainfall also lashed Islamabad. Authorities declared a state of emergency in Balochistan.

Causes

The extreme rainfall was in stark contrast to the unusually dry winter. The resulting dry soil struggled to absorb the rain, which exacerbated the flooding. Some experts cited climate change as the cause.

Response and recovery

Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority advised emergency services to be on high alert, as another round of heavy rains was expected. The confirmed dead include 25 children, 12 men and 9 women, while the injured include 11 women, 33 men and 16 children. The Pakistan Meteorological Department predicted more intermittent rain in all four provinces. The ongoing rains with possible flooding in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were thought to have continued until 22 April.