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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s disaster management authority this week warned of glacial lake outbursts (GLOF), flash floods and landslides in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa areas from Aug. 3-6, as Islamabad grapples with torrential rains this monsoon season. 

Torrential monsoon rains in Pakistan have killed at least 30 people this week, drenching the country’s second-largest city of Lahore in the most rainfall it has received in more than four decades, according to authorities.

Pakistan is recognized as one of the world’s worst-affected countries due to climate change impacts. The South Asian country has experienced torrential rains, droughts and heat waves that have become more severe and erratic over the past couple of years. 

“The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Emergencies Operation Center anticipated that a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF), Landslides and Flash Flood is expected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan due to increasing glacier melt, persistent high temperatures and weather system bringing intermittent rains from today till Tuesday,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said on Saturday. 

The NDMA said intermittent rains and high temperatures are expected to trigger low-level/localized flash floods, which in turn can impact temporary bridge and road connections for upstream areas.

The authority has advised the provincial disaster management authorities and local administrations in KP and GB to closely monitor the situation, identify at-risk populations, and evacuate them to safer zones in case of medium to high flows, the state-run media reported. 

Unusually heavy rains in June 2022 triggered flash floods in many parts of the country, killing over 1,700 people, inflicting losses of around $30 billion, and affecting at least 30 million people.

In June, a UN official warned that an estimated 200,000 people in Pakistan could be affected by the upcoming monsoon season, which is expected to bring heavier rains than usual.
The United Nations, with help from local authorities, has prepared a contingency plan, with $40 million set aside to respond to any emergencies, said Mohamed Yahya, the newly appointed Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan.