A new Islamic Relief assessment reveals the massive scale of destruction in flood-hit parts of northwestern Pakistan. 

The assessment — in the badly-affected areas of Buner and Swat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, where more than 300 people have been killed this week — found massive destruction of homes, farms and livelihoods. More rain is forecast in the days ahead, raising fears the impact could get even worse. 

Islamic Relief’s emergency response team is on the ground distributing food and water, and their assessment found: 

• 73% of houses are destroyed or partially damaged
• 60% of people in Buner and 53% in Swat are now unable to support their families. 
• 80% of agricultural land in Buner has been damaged. Farmers have suffered major losses to stored grains, standing crops and orchards. 
• Nearly 50% of livestock animals have died and been washed away
• 40% of households are already reporting cases of diarrhoea, with water-borne diseases spreading as the water supply is contaminated by dead bodies and livestock and the destruction of sanitation facilities 
• Almost one third of people report signs of trauma, anxiety and distress following the floods

A survivor of the floods, Syed Masood Shah, 21, from the village of Gangshal in Buner district, said: 

“We had never seen such a disaster in our lives. The flood came with such force and speed that it washed away everything in no time—our homes, our village, our loved ones. We couldn’t do anything. Now we are stranded in debris and mud-filled areas, trying to survive. 

“I lost 11 family members, including my father Nomaish, three sisters, three nephews, one niece, my aunty, sister-in-law, Uncle Aurangzeb, and Aurangzeb’s wife. Four of my other relatives were critically injured and hospitalised. The flood also destroyed four houses belonging to family members and killed 25 large and 30 small livestock, wiping out our family’s livelihood.

“Losing 11 family members has severely hit my life. Now I feel completely alone.”

Raza Narejo, acting country director of Islamic Relief Pakistan, said:

“The flooding has been devastating, washing entire villages away and destroying large families within days. We’ve seen apocalyptic destruction in the remote mountainous districts like Buner and it’s heartbreaking to meet individuals who have lost almost their whole family. 

“Now the flood waters are receding, but the impact is enormous and will affect people here for a long time. The poorest communities have seen their jobs and income wiped out in a flash, with 60% of workers in Buner district now unable to sustain themselves following the floods. Islamic Relief is on the ground providing emergency food and water right now, but we also want to support them to recover in the long-term.

“Pakistan is one of the countries most affected by climate change. Despite contributing less than 0.06% of global greenhouse emissions, we are seeing increasingly fierce and frequent floods, landslides and heatwaves shatter lives all over the country. In 2022 Pakistan suffered the worst floods ever and three years on it’s clear that not enough has been done to help people recover and adapt to climate change.”

Across Pakistan, more than 660 people have been killed by severe flooding since June – with the worst and deadliest hitting the northwest KP province this week. Over 300 people have been killed and around 1,000 injured in KP since 15 August – mostly in the mountainous district of Buner, followed by Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Swabi. Many communities are now faced with removing debris and boulders which have buried people beneath them, with dead bodies starting to smell and rot in the heat. 

Islamic Relief is closely coordinating with the government of Pakistan to respond, and aims to support 100,000 affected people.