Islamabad: Pakistan, prone to natural disasters like floods and earthquakes, faced severe challenges in 2024 due to unusually heavy monsoon rains. The July-to-September rainfall was nearly 320 percent above normal, leading to widespread flooding and landslides that affected over 551,000 people and resulted in 368 deaths. The natural calamity also destroyed or damaged significant infrastructure, including nearly 78,600 homes, 300 miles of roads, and 58,800 acres of farmland.

According to the United States Agency for International Development, the devastation from the 2024 floods compounded the enduring impacts of the catastrophic 2022 floods, which had affected an estimated 33 million people, or 15 percent of Pakistan’s population. The recent floods have also intensified the country’s food insecurity crisis. An analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification projected that approximately 8.6 million people would face high levels of acute food insecurity in the first half of 2024, driven by climatic shocks and reduced livelihoods. However, a slight improvement in food availability was anticipated in the latter half of the year, potentially reducing the number facing acute food insecurity to 7.9 million.