Pakistan Defends Flood Response as Death Toll in Buner District Surpasses 270

BUNER: Pakistani authorities on Sunday defended their response to devastating flash floods in the country’s northwest that have killed more than 270 people in a single district, amid growing criticism from residents who say they were not warned in time.

The mountainous district of Buner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was hit by torrential rains and cloudbursts on Friday, unleashing powerful floods that flattened homes, swept away roads, and buried entire villages under boulders and mud. Emergency workers said 54 bodies were recovered after hours-long operations, with dozens still missing.

Similar floods also caused destruction across the border in Indian-administered Kashmir, where at least seven people were killed overnight.

Residents blame lack of warnings

Survivors in Buner accused local officials of failing to issue evacuation alerts. Traditionally, mosque loudspeakers are used to warn residents in remote areas, but no such announcements were made, villagers said.

“Survivors escaped with nothing,” said Mohammad Iqbal, a schoolteacher in Pir Baba village. “If people had been informed earlier, lives could have been saved, and residents could have moved to safer places.”

Authorities, however, said the intensity and sudden onset of the downpour left little time to warn communities.

Government defends efforts

At a press conference in Islamabad, Lt. Gen. Inam Haider, chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), acknowledged the challenges of climate-driven weather patterns. He said Pakistan has already received 50% more rainfall than last year since the monsoon season began in late June.

“There is no forecasting system anywhere in the world that can pinpoint the exact time and place of a cloudburst,” said Asfandyar Khan Khattak, head of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority.

Disaster management officials stressed that Pakistan’s early warning system uses satellite imagery and meteorological data to send alerts via media and local leaders, but the floods in Buner struck with little notice.

Search and recovery ongoing

Emergency services reported that over half the damaged roads in Buner had been reopened by Sunday, enabling machinery and rescue crews to reach isolated villages. Operations continue to clear debris and recover missing people from collapsed homes.

In one of the deadliest incidents, 24 members of a single family perished when floodwaters swept through their home in Qadar Nagar on the eve of a wedding. Survivors described scenes of devastation, with some relatives still unaccounted for.

A country at risk

Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate-induced disasters despite contributing less than 1% of global emissions. The 2022 monsoon floods, which killed nearly 1,700 people and displaced millions, remain a stark reminder of the country’s exposure to extreme weather.

Experts warn that climate change is fueling more frequent and intense monsoon events, including flash floods, glacial lake outbursts, and cloudbursts, leaving communities little time to react.

With heavy rains forecast to continue, authorities have placed local administrations on high alert for further deluges and landslides in the coming days.