Pakistan 2025 Monsoon Floods: Rescue 1122 Lesson Learnt Exercise (November 2025)

1. Context

Starting in late August 2025, exceptionally heavy monsoon rains combined with water releases from upstream dams led to catastrophic flooding across Punjab province. A total of 35 districts were affected, primarily along the Indus and Chenab river basins. Riverine flooding was the predominant hazard (approximately 66% of incidents), followed by urban flooding (14%), flash floods (8%), and others (11%). The floods inundated thousands of villages and towns, displacing millions of people and causing extensive damage to housing, infrastructure, and agriculture.

Tragically, 322 people lost their lives in Punjab due to the floods and related incidents, including 155 men, 53 women, and 114 children. Another 665 people were injured (262 men, 203 women, 200 children) during the disaster. Table 1 below provides a district-wise breakdown of the reported deaths and injuries by gender, illustrating the human toll across the province:

Despite the widespread devastation, Punjab’s losses were relatively contained given the scale of flooding. The highest death tolls were concentrated in a few severely hit areas. In the southern belt – Multan, Muzaffargarh, and Rahim Yar Khan districts – dozens of lives were lost as major rivers overflowed into densely populated villages. In the northeastern Gujranwala division (encompassing Sialkot, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Narowal, etc.), flash floods and river breaches early in the monsoon caused significant fatalities as well; this region accounted for over 40 deaths by early September. Children made up a high proportion of casualties (around 35% of the deceased), reflecting their vulnerability during fast-rising floods and house collapses. Nonetheless, the death toll of 322 – while tragic – was far lower than it could have been, due in part to large-scale preemptive evacuations to safety led by the Government and local organizations.