Pakistan's Flood Crisis: A Nation Under Water

Massive floods in Pakistan have ravaged both rural landscapes and key industrial zones for the first time in decades, causing billions of dollars in damages and exacerbating existing strains on food supplies, exports, and the country's fragile economic revival.

Once optimistic about achieving 4.2% growth by 2026, leveraging a rebound in agriculture and manufacturing under an IMF bailout, the government now grapples with extensive damage from record monsoon rains since late June. Amplified by dam releases from neighboring India, these floods have submerged significant parts of Punjab and Sindh, two pivotal provinces from both a demographic and economic perspective.

Agricultural devastation is pronounced, with reports suggesting over 220,000 hectares of rice fields flooded in a short span. Punjab, a major agricultural hub for rice, cotton, and maize, witnessed 1.8 million acres of farmland submerged. Experts warn that this disaster may lead to increased food insecurity, as significant portions of essential crops were obliterated.

(With inputs from agencies.)