Post by : Meena Ariff

In the last few weeks, Pakistan has been facing terrible floods caused by heavy monsoon rains. These rains have killed hundreds of people, destroyed homes, and left many families homeless. According to a group of international scientists who studied the disaster, human-caused climate change made the situation worse by increasing the amount of rain by 10% to 15%.

This rise in rainfall caused buildings in both cities and villages to collapse. Between June 24 and July 23, the country saw unusually strong rains, leading to widespread destruction.

Hundreds of Lives Lost and Thousands Affected

Since June 26, the floods and heavy rains in Pakistan have taken the lives of at least 300 people. Over 1,600 houses have been damaged. People living in poor and crowded areas have suffered the most.

One person, a 50-year-old man named Saqib Hassan from northern Pakistan, shared how the flood on July 22 destroyed his house, the homes of 18 relatives, and their dairy farms. All their farm animals were swept away, resulting in a substantial financial loss of approximately 100 million rupees ($360,000).

They had minimal warning. The only alert came from a local mosque asking everyone to move to higher ground. “Now we have no homes. Everything is gone. The only help we got from the government was food worth 50,000 rupees ($177) and seven tents. We’ve been living in those tents for two weeks now,” said Hassan.

Climate Experts Raise Alarms Over Rising Temperatures

Experts who study climate and weather say the weather is changing faster than they had expected. Jakob Steiner, a scientist based in Islamabad, said that the number of extreme weather events in Pakistan and nearby countries has surprised researchers. Events they thought would happen in 2050 are already taking place in 2025.

“This summer’s temperatures have been much higher than usual,” he said. Steiner studies water and natural risks in mountain regions and says the heavy rainfall is one of many disasters affecting South Asia.

South Asia Faces a Chain of Disasters

Heavy rains have caused floods and landslides across South Asia. The Himalayan mountains, which stretch across five countries, have been hit hard.

In July, floods caused by overflowing glacial lakes destroyed a bridge between Nepal and China. Several hydropower dams were also washed away. Just recently, floods and landslides in northern India killed four people and left many missing.

These natural disasters are becoming more dangerous because the Earth’s atmosphere is getting warmer. Warmer air holds more moisture, which leads to heavier rain.

Climate Change is Making Rainfall More Intense

The scientists who wrote the report said that climate change is making the monsoon season more dangerous. One of the lead authors, Mariam Zachariah, explained that every small increase in temperature makes monsoon rains heavier. She said this shows the urgent need to move from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources like wind and solar power.

As the Earth warms up, more moisture builds up in the air, and when it rains, it rains harder. This leads to severe flooding, especially in areas that are not prepared for such weather.

Pakistan’s Role in Climate Change is Small, But Its Suffering is Big

Although Pakistan has contributed less than 1% to the gases that warm the planet, it suffers a lot from climate change. In 2022, the country had one of its worst monsoon seasons ever, with over 1,700 people dead and damages of about $40 billion.

Global organizations, like the United Nations, have created funds to help poor countries deal with the effects of climate change. But these funds are not enough. Pakistan, like many other countries, is not getting the money it needs to rebuild homes and protect people from future floods.

Countries like the United States and those in Europe, which have released the most harmful gases into the air, are not giving enough support to nations that are facing the worst climate disasters.

Better Housing and Flood Protection Are Needed

The scientists from the study also found that many people in Pakistan live in weakly built houses. These homes are often in areas where floods happen often. The collapse of such houses was the main cause of death in the recent floods.

More than half of the people who died were inside homes that fell during the floods. One of the scientists, Maja Vahlberg, said that about half of Pakistan’s city population lives in fragile settlements. “When floods come, these homes fall, and people die,” she said.

She added that the country needs to build stronger houses and avoid building in places that flood often. This would save lives in future monsoon seasons.

The Urgent Need to Act Now

This recent disaster in Pakistan is a clear warning. Climate change is already affecting people’s lives in serious ways. Scientists say that every little temperature rise adds more risk. And if we don’t act quickly to stop using fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, things will get worse.

Switching to clean energy, helping poor countries build stronger homes, and preparing for future floods are some of the steps the world must take. Otherwise, more people will lose their homes, farms, and even their lives to extreme weather caused by a warming planet.

Pakistan is suffering from something it didn’t create. While it hardly adds to the pollution that causes global warming, it is paying a huge price. Hundreds of people have died, and thousands are living in tents after losing everything.

If the world doesn’t take serious steps now, disasters like these will become more common. It’s time to listen to scientists, protect vulnerable people, and stop climate change before it’s too late.