'Like Doomsday': Pakistan Floods Wreak Havoc, Sweep Away Villages
In July 2025, Pakistan was struck by catastrophic flash floods triggered by relentless monsoon rains, claiming over 320 lives in just 48 hours and leaving entire villages in ruins. Described by survivors as a “doomsday” scenario, the floods have swept away homes, infrastructure, and livelihoods, particularly in the provinces of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), and Balochistan. Videos circulating online, including one shared by RT.com, capture the sheer scale of destruction as torrents of water obliterated neighborhoods, leaving communities stranded and relief efforts crippled by washed-out roads and ongoing rainfall. This blog explores the causes, impacts, and human toll of this climate-driven disaster, as well as the urgent need for action in a country disproportionately affected by global warming.
A Climate Catastrophe Unfolds
The 2025 monsoon season brought unprecedented rainfall to Pakistan, with cloudbursts—sudden, intense downpours—exacerbating the crisis. In Punjab’s Chakwal district, rainfall reached a staggering 443 mm in a single event, while urban flooding inundated the Twin Cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The River Sawan and Nullah Lai overflowed, submerging entire neighborhoods in hours. In KPK, Babusar Top and Swat faced similar devastation, with videos showing families swept away by raging floodwaters. Balochistan, already reeling from earlier floods, reported over 100 deaths, with Quetta’s infrastructure decimated.
These floods are not isolated events but part of a worsening pattern linked to climate change. Pakistan, despite contributing less than 1% to global greenhouse gas emissions, ranks as the eighth most vulnerable country to climate-related disasters, according to the UNDP’s Climate Risk Index. Warmer temperatures increase atmospheric moisture, leading to more frequent and intense cloudbursts. Additionally, Pakistan’s 7,000+ glaciers, the most outside the polar regions, are melting rapidly due to rising global temperatures, creating glacial lakes prone to outburst floods. In 2025 alone, at least 16 glacial lake outburst floods have occurred, far exceeding the annual average of five or six.
The Human Toll: Stories of Loss and Despair
The floods have left a trail of heartbreak, with survivors likening the destruction to “doomsday.” In Swat, a viral video showed a family standing on a rock in a river, swept away in seconds by a sudden surge. In Quetta, a father and daughter were seen waving for help before being engulfed by floodwaters. These tragedies have left millions grappling with grief and fear. As one survivor, Rustam, an 80-year-old farmer, recounted to Al Jazeera, “This flood was like doomsday. Our lands, houses, and everything else got destroyed.”
Obaidullah, a survivor of the 2022 floods that killed over 1,700 and displaced eight million, relived similar trauma in 2025. Stranded on a rock as floodwaters raged, he watched helplessly as friends were swept away. “It was very painful to see that I couldn’t do anything,” he said. Asif Shehzad, another victim, described losing his home and livestock: “We feared the whole house would fall, so we took refuge under trees. My children have no medicine, no help.” These stories underscore the profound human cost, with over 320 deaths, thousands injured, and countless others displaced.
The psychological toll is equally devastating. Survivors face sleepless nights, anxiety, and grief, yet Pakistan’s fragile healthcare system offers little mental health support, especially in rural areas. Nearly 78% of adults with mental health conditions remain untreated, and children fare even worse. For families who have lost everything, survival takes precedence over therapy, leaving invisible wounds that may never heal.
Infrastructure and Livelihoods in Ruins
The floods have crippled Pakistan’s infrastructure, washing away bridges, roads, and homes, and isolating entire communities. In Hassanabad, a glacial lake outburst flood destroyed two small hydropower plants and a critical bridge, severing connections to the outside world. In Passu, a village flanked by glaciers and the Hunza River, 70% of the population has been displaced by floods and erosion. Relief efforts are hampered by ongoing rainfall and damaged roads, leaving many without food, clean water, or shelter.
The economic impact is staggering. Rural communities, reliant on agriculture and livestock, have lost crops, cattle, and farmland. In Passu, tourism—a lifeline for the region’s economy—has collapsed as floodwaters destroyed scenic sites. The 2022 floods caused $30 billion in damages, and the 2025 floods are expected to add to this economic burden. Pakistan’s government has struggled to respond, with limited resources and inadequate disaster preparedness exacerbating the crisis.
Climate Injustice: A Global Responsibility
Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate disasters highlights a stark injustice: a nation responsible for minimal global emissions bears the brunt of climate change’s consequences. As Anatol Lieven notes in Pakistan: A Hard Country, ecological change poses the greatest long-term threat to the nation’s existence. Melting glaciers, fueled by global warming, and erratic monsoons, intensified by greenhouse gas emissions from industrialized nations, are driving these catastrophes. Yet, international climate financing and support remain woefully inadequate.
The 2022 floods prompted calls for developed nations to provide reparative climate finance, but progress has been slow. At the 2022 Nobel Prize Dialogue, experts like Pok Wei Heng emphasized that the climate crisis, expected to displace 1.2 billion people by 2050, demands action from high-emission countries. Pakistan’s plight underscores the need for global cooperation to fund disaster-resilient infrastructure, early warning systems, and mental health services for affected communities.
The Path Forward: Urgent Action Needed
Pakistan’s recurring floods demand immediate and long-term solutions. Domestically, the government must prioritize disaster-resilient infrastructure, such as improved drainage systems and flood barriers, particularly in urban areas where unplanned construction exacerbates flooding. Early warning systems, like those in Hassanabad, need expansion and better community education to ensure residents understand the risks. Reforestation and sustainable land management can help mitigate glacial melting and soil erosion.
Internationally, developed nations must step up. Climate finance, including grants for adaptation and mitigation, is critical for countries like Pakistan. The Paris Agreement’s commitments to reduce emissions must be enforced, and high-impact solutions—like transitioning to renewable energy and sustainable agriculture—should be prioritized. For Pakistan, protecting its glaciers and rivers is not just a local issue but a global imperative.
A Haunting Reality
The 2025 Pakistan floods are a stark reminder of the escalating climate crisis. As survivors like Rustam and Asif Shehzad rebuild their lives under open skies, their stories echo a universal truth: those least responsible for climate change suffer its worst impacts. Videos of raging floodwaters and shattered villages are not just images of destruction but a call to action. Without urgent, collective efforts to address climate change, Pakistan—and other vulnerable nations—will face more “doomsday” scenarios, with losses too profound to measure.
References:
- Al Jazeera. (2022, August 30). Non-stop rains leave families homeless and stranded in Pakistan.
- UNDP. (n.d.). Climate Promise II: Supporting Pakistan’s climate action.
- ShelterBox. (n.d.). Rustam’s story.
- Scientia Magazine. (2025, July 28). When Nature Strikes: The Devastating Human Cost of Pakistan’s Flood Crisis.
- RT.com. (2025). Video of Pakistan flood devastation.
