������Ƶ

DIR, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Saturday issued an advisory to limit tourism in mountainous areas after the death toll from torrential rains and floods in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in the last 48 hours increased to 308, according to an official statement.

The NDMA put the nationwide monsoon death toll at 507 on Friday, reporting 194 casualties in the preceding 24 hours, with 180 in KP, five in Gilgit-Baltistan and nine in Azad Kashmir.

In the last 48 hours, raging hill torrents swept away dozens of people in KP’s Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Mansehra, Shangla and Battagram districts, with a fresh Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) update recording at least 308 confirmed deaths during the period, suggesting that the overall nationwide toll has likely exceeded 600.

Rescuers, backed by boats and helicopters, worked for hours in KP and other areas to save stranded residents and tourists as ambulances transported bodies to hospitals.

“On the Prime Minister’s directive, the National Disaster Management Authority has issued an advisory to limit tourism in mountainous areas due to the intensity of the monsoon,” the NDMA said in a statement.

“Public movement should be restricted in high-risk areas during monsoon spells,” it continued. “If necessary, tourist restrictions may be imposed under Section 144, with law enforcement agencies in tourist areas ensuring compliance with these restrictions.”

Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) empowers local authorities to prohibit gatherings of four or more people and impose restrictions on movement or activities in a specific area to prevent unrest or ensure public safety.

The NDMA also urged the public to avoid traveling to affected areas.

Separately, the KP Department of Relief, Rehabilitation and Settlement declared an emergency in districts affected by rains and flash floods.

“A notification has been issued stating that the emergency will remain in effect from August 15 to August 31, 2025, in the vulnerable districts,” the PDMA said in a statement.

“The emergency will be enforced in the districts of Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Torghar, Mansehra, Shangla, Lower Dir, Upper Dir and Battagram, which have been affected by rains and flooding,” it added.

The Pakistani authorities have said the current spell of heavy rains in the region is likely to continue intermittently till August 21, with the KP PDMA issuing directives to intensify relief activities in all the affected districts and provide immediate relief to those affected.

The NDMA also said on Saturday that its team has reached Peshawar to supervise relief work.

Deputy PM Ishaq Dar expressed sorrow over the tragic loss of life and property caused by the cloudbursts and flash floods in KP and other parts of Pakistan.

“Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones, to those who are injured, and many whose homes and livelihoods have been swept away,” he said on X. “The Government of Pakistan is mobilizing all available resources to provide relief and conduct rescue operations.”

The deluges have evoked memories of 2022 when catastrophic monsoon rains and glacial melt submerged a third of the country, killing more than 1,700 people and causing over $30 billion in damages.

Pakistan, which contributes less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change.

Scientists say rising temperatures are making South Asia’s monsoon rains more erratic and intense, increasing the risk of flash floods and landslides in mountainous regions like KP and Gilgit-Baltistan, where at least 20 people have died in similar incidents and several are missing.

A study released this week by World Weather Attribution, a network of international scientists, found rainfall in Pakistan from June 24 to July 23 was 10 percent to 15 percent heavier because of global warming.