Since mid-June 2022, Pakistan has faced extreme monsoon rains resulting in the worst flooding the country has seen in a decade. According to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, over 33 million people have been affected, with more than 1 million houses destroyed or damaged. Tragically, at least 1,100 people have lost their lives due to floodwaters that have inundated tens of thousands of square kilometers across the nation.

Satellite Imagery and Flood Impact

The false-color images from the Operational Land Imagers aboard the Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 satellites, captured on August 4 and 28, highlight the extent of the flooding. These images use shortwave infrared, near-infrared, and red light to distinguish flood waters, which appear deep blue, beyond their natural channels.

The Indus River Regions

The worst flooding occurred along the Indus River, severely impacting the provinces of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Sindh. Balochistan and Sindh have received five to six times their 30-year average rainfall this year, primarily from the summer monsoon rains.

Devastating Losses

The floods have caused widespread devastation across Pakistan:

Infrastructure: Approximately 150 bridges and 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles) of roads have been destroyed.

Agriculture: Over 700,000 livestock and 2 million acres of crops and orchards have been lost.

Displacement: More than 500,000 people have been displaced.

Conclusion

The monsoon floods of 2022 have left an indelible mark on Pakistan, impacting millions and causing significant destruction. As the country works to recover, the resilience and strength of its people are crucial in rebuilding and moving forward.

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The River Indus after the devastating floods of 2022, captured on 30 August 2022, showing extensive flooding and its impact on the surrounding areas.

Widespread Flooding in Sukkur and Rohri

Heavy rains led to flooding across Old Sukkur, New Pind, Shalimar, Barrage Road, Rohri, Salah Pat, Khandra, Dadonko, Patni, Pano Aqil, and even the village fields beyond the city edge. Both urban and rural areas were affected at the same time. In central Sukkur, Station Road, the area around the historic Ghanta Ghar clock tower, Hussain Road and other main business districts stood underwater, halting trade and cutting neighbourhoods off from one another. In Rohri, low-lying mohallas filled faster than pumps could clear them, and families moved children, livestock and whatever household goods they could carry to higher ground.

Severe Impact Across Sindh

The Sukkur floods were part of a province-wide disaster. Seventeen districts in Sindh were severely affected, with 141 deaths recorded — including 66 children — and around 500 people injured. More than 500,000 people were displaced, thousands of homes were destroyed or badly damaged, roads were washed out, and over 600,000 acres of agricultural land were affected, destroying standing crops at a time when farmers could least afford the loss. For a province whose farms already struggle with water shortages and salinity — issues covered in our article on agriculture in Sukkur and Sindh — the rains of November 2024 were a double blow.

Why a City Beside a Barrage Still Floods

Visitors are often surprised that Sukkur, home of the great Sukkur Barrage on the Indus, can drown in rainwater. The reason is that river flooding and urban flooding are different problems. The barrage protects the city from the river; nothing protects it from the sky when its own drainage fails. Sukkur’s storm-water system dates largely from the colonial era and has not kept pace with the city’s growth. Natural drains (nullahs) that once carried runoff out of the city have been encroached on, narrowed or blocked with solid waste, while new housing has covered the ground that used to soak the rain up. When an extreme rain event arrives — and climate change is making these events more frequent across the Indus valley — the water has no exit, and the streets become the drain.

Impact on Lives and Infrastructure in Rohri District

In the rural areas of the district, the flooding damaged mud-and-brick homes that cannot withstand standing water, ruined stored harvests, drowned livestock and cut village roads for days. Schools and basic health facilities were disrupted just as winter set in, and the standing water left behind bred mosquitoes, raising the risk of malaria and dengue in the weeks that followed. The poorest families — daily wagers, tenants and small farmers — were hit hardest, losing both their homes and their income at once.

Relief, Recovery and the Road Ahead

Relief in the flooded districts was led by the provincial disaster management authorities with support from the armed forces, local administration and volunteer groups, who ran rescue boats, set up camps and distributed food and medicines. But recovery exposed the deeper issue: drainage. Engineers and citizens’ groups in Sukkur have long warned that the city needs a master drainage plan — restored nullahs with protected right-of-way, modern storm-water pumping, solid-waste systems that stop drains being used as rubbish tips, and rain-resilient road design. Until that work is funded and completed, every abnormal monsoon or winter rain event will repeat the scenes of November 2024.

A Reminder of 2022

The 2024 urban flooding came barely two years after the super-floods of 2022, when one-third of Pakistan stood under water and the Indus itself threatened the barrage — the Sukkur city guide explains how the city sits in the heart of this flood plain. Taken together, the two disasters frame the choice facing Sukkur and Rohri: keep rebuilding after each flood, or invest now in drainage, drainage-corridor protection and flood-resilient planning.

Map: Rohri and the surrounding flooded district, November 2024.

Flood Preparedness: What Families in Sukkur and Rohri Can Do

Floods cannot always be prevented, but their worst effects can be reduced at household level. Families in low-lying mohallas should keep important documents, medicines and a basic emergency bag on the highest shelf during monsoon and heavy-rain alerts; know the nearest high ground and the route to it; keep mobile phones charged through power cuts; avoid walking or driving through moving water, which needs only a few inches to knock a person over; and report blocked nullahs and manholes to the municipal authorities before the rains arrive rather than after. Shopkeepers on Station Road and Hussain Road can protect stock with raised platforms and sandbags, while households should assume that anything touched by floodwater is contaminated until boiled or washed with clean water.

References

• Pakistani and international news coverage of the November 2024 Sindh floods (district casualty and displacement figures as reported by the provincial government).
• PDMA Sindh situation reports, November–December 2024.

Importance of Vaccination Abbasi stressed the critical need for vaccinating children with two drops of the polio vaccine to prevent the virus. He highlighted that Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries still affected by polio, and Sukkur’s central location puts it at heightened risk.

Current Polio Cases This year, Balochistan has reported over 12 polio cases, with many people traveling to Sukkur. In Sindh, three cases have been reported: two from Karachi and one from Shikarpur.

Upcoming Polio Campaign Abbasi urged parents to ensure their children receive polio vaccinations during the upcoming campaign from September 9 to 15.

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Dear Parents and Guardians,

We understand that there are many concerns and misconceptions about the polio vaccine. However, we want to assure you that the polio vaccine is halal and safe for your children. Vaccinating your children with just two drops can prevent them from contracting this life-threatening virus.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries still struggling with polio, and we must take every step possible to protect our children. Let’s not allow unfounded rumors to put our children’s health at risk. By participating in the upcoming polio campaign from September 9 to 15, we can ensure a healthier future for all.

Let’s work together to make polio a thing of the past. Your cooperation and commitment to vaccinating your children will make a significant difference.

Stay informed, stay safe, and protect your children from polio.

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