Cornwall charity ShelterBox respond to monsoon flooding in Pakistan
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced, and hundreds have died
A Cornwall-based charity are supporting people in Pakistan with emergency shelter following devastating monsoon flooding.
ShelterBox has a team in Pakistan following severe monsoon flooding in the north of the country, which is affecting tens of thousands of people. Pakistan’s monsoon season always brings heavy rain, but this year’s storms have been unusually intense.
Rare cloudbursts - sudden downpours dumping over 100mm of rain in just one hour - have triggered flash floods in the northwest, sweeping through mountain villages and causing widespread destruction.
Haroon Altaf, ShelterBox Regional Director, said: "Local communities are used to monsoon rains, but the intensity and speed of these cloudbursts caught people off guard - destroying homes and sweeping away entire villages.
"Homes have been crushed by flood water and landslides. People have described watching everything they own being washed away or buried."
Another team from ShelterBox will arrive in Islamabad in the coming days to work closely with Islamic Relief Pakistan (IRP) on how best to support people displaced.
Haroon added: "We’re getting ready to respond with emergency shelter, which families urgently need.
"We have shelter and other essential items available in Pakistan and Dubai so we’re ready to respond in these moments, given how vulnerable the country is to extreme weather and other disasters."
It’s peak monsoon season and more heavy rain is expected, so the Cornwall-based charity is focusing on what people need and where that need is highest.
There’s been significant damage to homes, roads, and crops, though the full extent of the damage is not yet clear and ShelterBox teams are gathering as much information as they can.
Haroon adds: “We’ll be looking at shelter repair kits, which include items like tarpaulins and rope, so people can make temporary repairs to damaged homes.
“People also need items like water filters, water carriers, and mosquito nets, especially with the increased risk of disease after flooding. August – November is the season for dengue and malaria in these areas.”
The monsoon season in Pakistan typically runs from July to September with peak rainfall usually occurring in August. Since late June, there have been heavier than usual monsoon rains. Hundreds of people have been killed by flash floods or house collapses, and the death toll is expected to rise.
Thousands of homes have been damaged or destroyed, and livestock and crops have been lost, especially in rural areas. Many villages are built on steep slopes and riverbanks, which are prone to landslides and flash floods. Deforestation and loose terrain increase the risk of disaster.
Haroon adds: “This disaster highlights Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change as extreme weather becomes more frequent and more intense. Though it contributes less than 1% of global emissions, it faces increasingly extreme weather events that threaten lives and homes - especially in remote, mountainous areas.”
Heavy rains are ongoing, making rescue and relief work extremely difficult.
ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity based in Cornwall. It specialises in emergency shelter, supporting people uprooted from their homes by disasters, conflict, and the climate crisis to recover and rebuild. It has has responded in Pakistan before, to severe flooding in 2022 as well as to flooding in 2012 and an earthquake in 2013.
The charity is also responding in Burkin Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Somalia, Gaza, Myanmar and Yemen.