2025 Pakistan monsoon floods impact millions: CARE launches emergency response

Over the following weeks, the crisis unfolded rapidly across multiple provinces. In mid-July, flash floods devastated communities in Chakwal and Jhelum City, districts in Punjab province in eastern Pakistan.

On August 15, intense flash floods struck Buner district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after a sudden cloudburst — a brief but heavy rainfall that can trigger rapid flooding and landslides. Floods killed over 200 people, carried large rocks that damaged houses, and filled them with mud, leaving many uninhabitable.

Between August 16 and 22, Gilgit Baltistan in northern Pakistan faced flash floods caused by glacial lake outbursts — sudden water releases from broken glacial dams that trigger rapid downstream flooding. More than 40 people have died.

Since the last week of August, Punjab’s Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab rivers have experienced moderate to severe flooding. Rainfall, combined with upstream dam releases from India, has impacted 4.7 million people in the province and continues to wreak havoc. Reports indicate mass displacement along the banks of the three rivers, with nearly 4,000 villages and major cities flooded.

“Every year since 2016, our area floods, and each time we must start over. This year has been especially devastating. We were told to evacuate our homes immediately,” says Mehvish from Punjab, who works with FDO, a CARE partner.

“Now, we are living with 5-6 families in one small room nearly five miles from our home. When my husband went back to check our house, he found snakes inside. The space in our host family’s home is so cramped that there is nowhere to sit or even stand.”

Just three years ago, Pakistan suffered devastating floods that affected more than 33 million people and killed over 1,700, marking one of the worst disasters in the country’s history. Families were still rebuilding homes, livelihoods, and futures when this year’s monsoon struck, setting them back even further.

Women and girls disproportionately affected

The flood crisis in Pakistan hits women and girls hardest. Floods have damaged walls and doors, leaving many homes unsafe. Lack of privacy, safe toilets, and secure shelters put women and girls in daily danger. In relief camps, they face shortages of sanitation, clean water, food, and healthcare.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women struggle to access nutrition and medical care. Girls also face higher risks of dropping out of school due to displacement, trauma, and loss of school supplies.

Basic needs have become luxuries for many women managing families after the floods. Servia, 50, a mother of seven, lost her belongings, emergency grain supplies, and the small grocery shop that was their sole income. Their well is now contaminated, forcing them to buy water. “Buying clean drinking water is expensive, but we have no choice,” she says.

CARE, Always There: Delivering urgent lifesaving support

In the wake of devastating monsoon floods, CARE Pakistan is providing immediate assistance and support to affected communities. In Buner (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Diamer (Gilgit-Baltistan), CARE and its partners have already distributed over 600 hygiene kits to flood-affected families. Cash assistance assessments are underway in Buner, Diamer, and Chakwal to help families meet urgent needs.

Meanwhile, Sindh province faces a severe flood threat, with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) raising alerts for 1.6 million people at risk. In Sindh, CARE is preparing to respond, repairing WASH facilities at evacuation sites and providing transportation to relief camps in Jamshoro, Thatta, and Sujawal districts.

CARE plans to distribute hygiene kits, livestock fodder, and mosquito nets to families in each district. In Jamshoro, additional support will include food assistance, clean water access, relocation of families to safer areas, installation of latrines at evacuation sites, distribution of non-food relief items, and mobile health camps to meet urgent community needs.

CARE has conducted a rapid needs assessment alongside local partner FDO and district authorities in South Punjab’s Multan, Muzaffargarh, and Jhang districts. Based on the findings, CARE is distributing emergency shelter kits, hygiene kits, food packs, and non-food items to more than 400 families in Jalalpur Pirwala, Multan, the most severely affected area. CARE is expanding its response to Muzaffargarh, Punjab, providing humanitarian assistance to 200 families.

Urgent appeal: Pakistan’s deadliest monsoon in decades

“The needs are immense. Across Pakistan, over 6.9 million people — especially women and children — urgently need shelter, food, safe water, and urgent medical support,” says Adil Sheraz, CARE Pakistan country director.

“We are racing against time. Each day without action pushes more families into crisis. Urgent funding support is critical to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and to give families a chance to rebuild with dignity.”

About CARE Pakistan

CARE began working in Pakistan in 2005. Our work spans health, education, women’s economic empowerment, food security, nutrition, water and sanitation, and emergency preparedness and response. We have also provided life-saving assistance during major emergencies, including floods, earthquakes, and large-scale displacement. In 2024, CARE in Pakistan reached over 800,000 people through its programs.