Loss and damage (this section updated 2 September 2025)
Our local partners report, ‘In recent days, we have seen tremendous losses and damages in the northern part of the country.’
As at 2 September 2025, the floods in Pakistan continue to take a heavy toll on lives and livelihoods. According to the latest situation report provided by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 854 people have lost their lives, 1,107 have been injured, 9,159 houses have been destroyed, 5,587 livestock have perished and almost a thousand schools have been affected.
In total, 5 million people across 40 districts and 7,051 villages have been impacted by the flooding so far.
- In Punjab, nearly 2,300 villages and 2 million people have been affected. For the first time, the Sutlej, Chenab and Ravi rivers are all at dangerously high levels. Border villages, particularly in Kasur, have been evacuated.
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In Sindh, the NDMA has issued high-level alerts for the Indus River, warning of extreme flooding between September 3 and 6. The Government has begun preparations for super floods heading towards Sindh, with evacuations already underway in several districts. This could affect a further 1.65 million people.
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In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 480 people have died, houses and schools have been destroyed, and thousands of livestock have been lost. Landslides and destroyed bridges are restricting access to many places and people affected by the floods.
Tearfund has initiated emergency relief efforts through four of our partners across eight flood-affected areas.
Through these projects, we are reaching 19,235 individuals, bringing some hope, relief and vital support to those most in need of assistance.
However, with soaring inflation and widespread damage, thousands of families face challenges in repairing homes and accessing healthcare, particularly as waterborne diseases spread rapidly in flood-hit areas.
Ongoing concerns
Tearfund’s Country Director in Pakistan, Jonathan Johnson, explains that the threat is ongoing: ‘With heavy rains expected over the next two weeks the situation is likely to worsen significantly and may leave thousands of households in dire need of humanitarian assistance.’
The country has still not recovered from the devastating floods in 2022 which claimed the lives of at least 1,700 people and left an estimated 20 million in need of humanitarian assistance.
‘We can ill afford any disaster approaching the magnitude we are seeing now,’ says Jonathan.
Survival on a school roof
Ali*, in another part of the country, describes the start of the flooding this weekend. He says, ‘It started raining at 8 o’clock, and by 9 o’clock, it became heavier. The area on both sides of the road has been destroyed by the flash floods.
‘A few miles away, a school where between 800 and 900 children were present was also hit by the flood. Somehow, they all managed to get onto the roof, and thankfully, all of them survived. However, many schools have been destroyed and people have lost their livelihoods. The community has suffered extreme financial as well as human losses.
‘We can’t tell the exact number of people who have died and are still missing.
‘No machinery to clear the debris has arrived yet, and people are trying to dig through the mud themselves. We need medicines, food and shelter.
‘Many people have been swept away and some are still missing. Some people are still buried in the debris in the market.
‘The destruction is massive.
‘At present, the most urgent needs are clean water and food, which people desperately require.’
Tearfund’s response
In response to the immediate, urgent needs, Jonathan explains: ‘Tearfund is providing emergency food for the next two weeks to more than 2,000 households, as well as blankets, kitchen utensils and hygiene items.’
But, there is more help needed.
The local church – devastated but not destroyed
Not far away from Yasmin’s damaged house in Islamabad, another building that has been made dangerously unstable is a local church – the spiritual home of more than 300 families.
The church’s bishop stood heartbroken amidst the wreckage as he told our local partner, ‘This church has been the heart of our community. Now we cannot even gather in it to pray. The walls may fall at any moment.’
Yet the congregation, many of whom have also lost homes and livelihoods in the flooding, are still gathering outdoors under makeshift coverings to sing hymns and lift up their prayers.
Our local partner tells us, ‘The flood may have broken their walls, but it has not broken their spirit. With your support, we can rebuild their church, transforming despair into hope and restoring a home where faith, fellowship and love can once again thrive.’
