Monsoon rains claim 23 lives in AJK, over 160 homes destroyed
Pakistan
The torrential rains have completely destroyed 167 houses and partially damaged 635 more
MUZAFFARABAD (Dunya News) – Since June 1, monsoon rains in Azad Jammu and Kashmir have left 23 people dead and 28 others injured, according to a report issued by the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA).
The torrential rains have completely destroyed 167 houses and partially damaged 635 more, while 49 shops were reduced to rubble.
At least 212 livestock perished in the floods. The report further noted that 11 watermills were swept away, and 25 link bridges collapsed across Neelum Valley, Jhelum Valley, and adjoining regions.
Floodwaters and landslides also wiped out 50.5 kilometers of roads, four schools, 40 irrigation channels, 59 water supply schemes, and 14 vehicles. In Neelum Valley alone, 10 bridges, two hydel power projects, and 40 irrigation schemes were devastated by flash floods.
Read Also: NDMA chief warns of two more monsoon spells, glacier melt poses risk to GB, AJK
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider stated on Monday that the country is currently experiencing the seventh spell of the monsoon season, with two more spells expected to follow. He warned that the melting of glaciers poses a threat to Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir, and that Islamabad and Rawalpindi could also be affected.
During a media briefing alongside Federal Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik and Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar, the NDMA chairman said that Pakistan is passing through its seventh monsoon spell and that climate change is accelerating the melting of glaciers. He added that this trend could intensify in the coming years.
According to him, glacier melt is increasing the risk for areas like Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir, while cloudbursts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have made the monsoon situation more serious. He recalled that Pakistan had also faced severe flooding in 2022.
