The Water Had No Mercy”: Pakistan’s Northern Villages Devastated by Deadly Floods
The Water Had No Mercy”: Pakistan’s Northern Villages Devastated by Deadly Floods
Bishnoi was once a quiet village tucked among the green mountains of northern Pakistan. A river ran through its heart, feeding farmlands and livelihoods. But on the morning of August 15, everything changed.
Heavy rains unleashed a torrent that tore through the settlement. Locals recall walls of water crashing down with rocks and debris, crushing homes and burying entire families. What was once a village of nearly 90 households now lies under stones, mud, and silence.
Rescue workers and residents clawed through the rubble with shovels and bare hands. “There is a house under every stone,” said Israr Khan, a villager searching for survivors. “People keep looking under the rocks, hoping to find someone alive.”
A Province in Mourning
The destruction in Bishnoi is only part of a wider tragedy. Across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at least 314 people have died and more than 150 others are injured, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority. Buner district, home to Bishnoi, is the worst hit with 217 fatalities.
Entire families vanished in an instant. Locals say one household preparing for a wedding was swept away. At least half the homes in Bishnoi are gone; the rest are unsafe to live in.
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Monsoon Season Turns Deadly
Every year, monsoon rains bring South Asia three-quarters of its annual rainfall. This season has been especially brutal. More than 650 people across the region have died so far. In Pakistan alone, the toll stands at over 500 since late June.
Experts warn that melting glaciers are worsening the situation. Rising global temperatures have thinned the ice in northern Pakistan, making slopes unstable. Floods and landslides strike with little warning, destroying everything in their path.
Government forecasters expect more rain until August 21. Authorities have declared several disaster zones in the north-west, bracing for further damage.
Acts of Survival and Loss
Not all stories ended in tragedy. In Swat Valley, school principal Saeed Ahmad ordered the evacuation of 900 children when he sensed the rising river would break its banks. Fifteen minutes later, floods tore through the school grounds, sweeping away buildings but sparing every life.
But many families never made it out. In Punjab, Abdul Salam lost his wife and three children when floodwaters engulfed Swat Valley. “I kept calling their phones,” he said, “but no one answered.” All four drowned.
In Buner, 27 villagers remain missing. “It happened before my eyes,” recalled Asrar Khan. “We tried to save people, but the water had no mercy.”
Scenes of Ruin
Driving into Pir Baba Bazaar, fields lie flattened, trees uprooted, vehicles twisted in mud. Shops once stacked with goods now sit filled with sludge. Floodwaters climbed as high as the third floor in some buildings, leaving nothing but mud and broken walls behind.
Relief groups, including Al-Khidmat, have set up camps to distribute food and provide medical aid. Soldiers and rescue teams are working with heavy machinery to clear rubble. Yet, volunteers from nearby towns continue to arrive, hoping to help.
Among them, two young men sat quietly on a rock, staring at what used to be a family home. “There were 20 people inside,” a bystander explained. “Eighteen are gone. Some bodies have been recovered. The search continues.”
Two survivors remain, but neighbors say they are in shock, unable to comprehend what happened. “When anyone speaks to them,” the man added, “they just start crying.”
A Nation on Edge
Pakistan is no stranger to floods, but the scale of this disaster has left entire communities shattered. Bishnoi’s ruins now stand as a grim reminder of the force of water and the fragility of human life in the path of climate-fueled storms.
The search for survivors continues. But for many families, the flood has already taken everything.
Content Credit : Blessing Dada
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