Lahore [Pakistan], July 27 (ANI): In a harrowing consequence of ongoing monsoon devastation, nearly half of the 266 people killed across Pakistan this season have been children on their national school holidays, once again highlighting the government’s chronic failure to protect its most vulnerable citizens, Geo News reported.
Since June 26, 126 children have died due to heavier-than-normal monsoon rains, with most casualties reported in Punjab province, where rainfall levels have surged to 70 percent above last year’s figures.
With schools closed and children left unsupervised, many have fallen victim to electrocution, flash floods, collapsing buildings, and drowning.
Mazhar Hussain, a representative of the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Agency, acknowledged the vulnerability of children, but his remarks reflected the lack of adequate safety infrastructure. “They are playing in the water, bathing, and electricity shocks can happen,” he told Geo News.
His statement underscored Pakistan’s absence of preventive emergency measures despite experiencing monsoon rains annually. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) confirmed that 266 people have been killed nationwide this season, with hundreds more injured.
This year’s rains have already proven unusually destructive, even before the peak monsoon period typically expected in August. In Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan, a landslide swept away several vehicles in a well-frequented tourist area. In a separate incident in late June, 13 tourists were killed after being swept away by flash floods while taking shelter near a riverbank.
The monsoon season delivers between 70 to 80 percent of South Asia’s annual rainfall, lasting from late June through September. While this precipitation is essential for agriculture and food security, it also poses severe risks to life and property due to poor infrastructure and planning.
In 2022, a catastrophic monsoon flood submerged nearly one-third of the country and claimed approximately 1,700 lives. Yet, the government’s failure to implement lasting solutions leaves citizens—especially children—repeatedly paying the price for systemic negligence. (ANI)
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