Here’s how floods in 2025 started in Pakistan — and what made them especially bad:
Main Triggers in 2025
- Very heavy monsoon rains
Since June 2025, unusually intense monsoon rainfall across many regions (Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan etc.) has been the principal cause of flooding.
Some areas got more rain in a short time than they usually would in days, which overwhelmed rivers, drains, and terrain.
- Flash floods & cloudbursts
In mountainous or hilly districts (like Buner in KP), cloudbursts — extremely heavy rain over small areas in a short time — caused flash floods and landslides.
These events didn’t always allow much warning.
- Glacial melt & related hazards
Rising temperatures led to accelerated melting of glaciers in the north.
Glacial lakes (or unstable glacial formations) sometimes overflowed or broke (Glacial Lake Outburst Floods, GLOFs), adding sudden large volumes of water to the river systems.
- River overflow + dam / barrage water releases
Rivers like the Ravi, Chenab, Sutlej etc., already carrying heavy loads of rainwater, swelled and overflowed.
Also, water released from upstream dams or barrages (including cross-border releases) increased river flows downstream, exacerbating flooding in Punjab and Sindh.
- Human/weakened infrastructural & environmental factors
Poor drainage systems in cities, blocked nullahs (storm drains), unplanned urban growth and encroachments near waterways worsened urban flooding.
Deforestation, soil erosion, and degraded land upstream reduce natural absorption of rainwater and increase runoff.
Early warning systems and disaster preparedness in some areas were inadequate for the speed/intensity of these events.
Scale & Timing
The floods started around June 2025 and have continued during the monsoon season, intensifying in July & August.
Some of the worst damage has been seen in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Fatalities have been large (hundreds), with massive displacement of people, villages submerged, farmland destroyed.
there is still a real risk of flooding in Pakistan right now. Some recent developments:
Heavy monsoon rains continue to affect many areas, especially in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
Authorities have issued multiple alerts for flash floods, urban flooding, overflow of nullahs (streams), hill torrents, and even Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) in mountainous regions.
A newly formed lake by a mountain mudslide in Gilgit-Baltistan poses a risk; if the natural dam fails, it could cause catastrophic flooding downstream.
Rivers are swelling, many villages are submerged, and large‐scale evacuations are underway in vulnerable regions like Sindh and southern Punjab.