ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top economic decision-making body on Tuesday approved the release of Rs3 billion ($10.8 million) in emergency funds for flood-affected families in northern Gilgit-Baltistan, while more than 150,000 people were evacuated from Punjab’s Sutlej and Ravi river belts amid rising waters.

The decision came as the latest spell of monsoon rains continued to devastate much of the country, leaving nearly 800 people dead since late June.

Pakistan has been battered by heavy rains since the start of the monsoon season on June 26. The most devastating spell began on Aug. 15 and has killed at least 485 people since, underscoring the scale of the disaster in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province has reported at least 479 deaths since the monsoons started, followed by Punjab with 165, Sindh 54, Gilgit-Baltistan 45, Balochistan 24, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 23, and the capital Islamabad eight, according to official figures.

“The Economic Coordination Committee approved the release of Rs3 billion for timely provision of tents, medicines, food and other essential supplies for the affected families, as well as for reconstruction of damaged infrastructure and early recovery measures to support the affected communities,” the finance ministry said in a statement after Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb chaired a meeting of the ECC.

Separately, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issued an advance alert to the provincial disaster agency in Punjab, the PDMA, regarding rising water levels in the Sutlej River and potential floods. The alert prompted large-scale evacuation operations in areas near the Sutlej River.

“As a result of the advance warning and alert issued by NDMA, approximately 150,000 people have so far been moved from flood-prone areas to safe locations,” the NDMA statement said. 

These included 14,140 people from Kasur, 2,063 from Okara, 89,868 from Bahawalnagar, 361 from Bahawalpur, 165 from Vehari and 873 from Pakpattan.

The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) also reported rising waters in the Ravi and Sutlej rivers.

“There is an extremely high flood at Ganda Singh Wala on the Sutlej River, where the inflow is 195,000 cusecs,” PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said, adding that Sulemanki on the Sutlej was at medium flood with an inflow of 104,000 cusecs and an outflow of 98,000 cusecs.

“There is a medium-level flood at Jassar with an inflow of 90,000 cusecs and a low-level flood at Shahdara with 40,000 cusecs,” a PDMA spokesperson said, warning that between 60,000 and 70,000 cusecs could pass Shahdara later on Tuesday night.

“Citizens in riverbeds should immediately move to safe places,” Kathia said, adding that mosque loudspeakers were being used to alert residents and instructing local administrations “to ensure no negligence in protecting lives and property.”

Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed said flood relief camps had been established in affected areas and that “all basic facilities and medicines will be provided.” He also cautioned against landslides in Murree, Galiyat and other northern hill areas and advised residents to avoid unnecessary travel.

HEAVY TOLL IN KP

In northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, authorities reported widespread destruction as flash floods and house collapses swept through multiple districts. At least 406 people have died and 245 have been injured since Aug. 15, while nearly 5,900 houses were completely destroyed and more than 2,800 partially damaged, according to the provincial situation report.

The district of Buner was among the worst hit, with the local administration reporting over 20 bodies recovered in recent days and around 50 people still missing. Rescue operations remain underway with support from district officials, the army and humanitarian organizations.

Across the province, dozens of bridges, culverts, irrigation channels and roads have been washed away, cutting off access to remote areas. Relief efforts include the distribution of cooked meals, dry food rations, tents, and medical supplies, with mobile health teams operating in flood-affected zones.

Officials say the ongoing monsoon spell is expected to last until at least September 10, while the NDMA has warned the rains could rival the scale of the catastrophic floods of 2022, which killed more than 1,700 people and caused over $30 billion in damage.

Annual monsoon rains are crucial for Pakistan’s agriculture and water supply but in recent years have also unleashed devastation, intensified by shifting climate patterns.

Despite contributing less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Pakistan ranks among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. In recent years it has endured increasingly erratic weather, including droughts, heatwaves and record-breaking rains that have caused widespread loss of life and damage to property.

Experts warn that without urgent adaptation and mitigation measures, the human and economic toll of climate change in Pakistan will only deepen in the years ahead.