Islamabad [Pakistan], August 23: A new assessment by humanitarian organisation Islamic Relief has revealed the devastating impact of flash floods in Pakistan’s Buner and Swat districts, where 60 per cent of families have lost their livelihoods and widespread destruction of homes, farmland, and livestock has been reported, according to Dawn.
The Islamic Relief emergency response team is distributing food and clean water in the worst-hit areas. Their findings show that 73 per cent of houses are either destroyed or partially damaged, while 80 per cent of farmland in Buner has been wiped out. Livestock losses are equally severe, with nearly half swept away or killed.
The report further warns of growing health risks: 40 per cent of households are reporting diarrhoea and water-borne illnesses, largely caused by contaminated water supplies, decomposed bodies of victims and livestock, and damaged sanitation systems.
Raza Narejo, Acting Country Director of Islamic Relief Pakistan, stressed that although floodwaters are receding, the crisis will have long-lasting effects. “The most vulnerable populations have seen their jobs and incomes devastated almost instantly, with 60 per cent of workers in Buner now unable to support themselves,” he told Dawn.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued fresh flood warnings. Between August 23 and August 30, heavy rains are expected across Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with the risk of flash floods, landslides, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).
Districts including Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, Battagram, Abbottabad, Malakand, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Tank, Bannu, and Lakki Marwat are on high alert, according to Ceo News.