death toll rises to 1,061

In Pakistan, the authorities are still trying to reach isolated villages located in mountainous areas in the north of the country, which raises fears of an even heavier toll. According to the latest casualty count released Monday, August 29 by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), flooding caused by monsoon rains, which began in June, claimed at least 1,061 lives. According to the organization, 28 people have died in the past 24 hours.

More than 33 million people, or one in seven Pakistanis, have been affected by the floods and nearly a million homes have been destroyed or severely damaged, according to the government. The NDMA said more than 80,000 hectares of farmland had been ravaged and more than 3,400 kilometers of roads and 157 bridges washed away.

The monsoon, which usually lasts from June to September, is essential for the irrigation of plantations and to replenish the water resources of the Indian subcontinent. But each year it also brings its share of drama and destruction, varying in intensity from one year to the next. In 2010, nearly 2,000 people were killed by these seasonal rains, compared to just over 160 deaths in 2021, according to a report (document in English) from the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC).

This year, the phenomenon has already forced more than 3 million people from their homes and caused the death of 710,000 farm animals, according to thea International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).