The devastation caused by the monsoon rains on a large portion of Pakistan is widely documented in frightening photographs on social media. Floods brought on by the monsoon spell are a pain for those who live in low-lying places, in the way of hill torrents, or on shoddy embankments. The realization that we had seen these photographs before would only hit us if we took the dates off of the posts, newspaper articles, and television stories.
Glacial lake outburst floods have occurred frequently in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan, but they are rarely reported in the media. In Balochistan, severe rains frequently cause immense devastation, the loss of life and cattle, and hill torrents racing down their beds, streams, and rivers bursting their banks and washing away whatever stands in their path. The other extreme of drought, to which this region is equally vulnerable, has been alternating with these. Sindh is plagued by both too little and too much water. The monsoon has been severe and unrelenting this year, just like it has been the past couple of years.
In Balochistan, severe rains frequently bring about hill torrents raging down their beds, streams, and rivers bursting their banks, and rivers washing away everything in their path, causing enormous damage and the loss of people and cattle. They have alternated with the other extreme of drought, to which this area is also vulnerable.
Sindh experiences both too few and too many water problems. The monsoon has been harsh and unrelenting this year, as it has been the previous two. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan have frequently experienced glacial lake outburst floods; however, they are rarely reported in the media.
