Pakistan 2025 Monsoon Floods: Support Plan for Relief and Early Recovery (October 2025 - April 2026)

ISSUED: October 2025

Overview

Beginning at the end of June and lasting through mid-September 2025, Pakistan experienced a particularly devastating monsoon season, with heavy and prolonged rains leading to landslides and flash floods in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and Gilgit-Baltistan administrative territory, and riverine floods in Punjab and Sindh provinces. These heavy rains raised the water levels of Pakistan’s major rivers, including the Indus, Sutlej, Ravi, Jhelum and Chenab, making them breach their banks. This led to Pakistan’s breadbasket and most populous province, Punjab, experiencing its worst flooding in four decades.

By the end of September, over 6.9 million people had been affected, including 4.7 million people in Punjab Province, 1.6 million people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, 356,000 people in Gilgit-Baltistan administrative territory, and 185,000 people in Sindh Province. Rains and floods claimed the lives of over 1,000 people, including 275 children, with Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces suffering the brunt of impact, with 304 and 504 fatalities respectively. Of the 6.9 million people affected, some 3 million people were forced to flee their homes in search of higher ground, with some seeking shelter in the 1,580 evacuation centers established by provincial authorities. The flood also caused extensive damage to infrastructure, with over 229,700 houses, 790 bridges, and 2,811 kilometres of roads destroyed or damaged according to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

The 2025 floods resulted in extensive loss of life, mass displacement, destruction of homes and social infrastructure, crop damage, loss of livestock and the collapse of livelihoods for millions. Floods destroyed an estimated 2.2 million hectares (ha) of cropland2 and killed over 22,800 heads of livestock. According to FAO, in Punjab Province, 1.12 million ha of agricultural land was affected, or 9 per cent of the total agricultural land in the province, while in Sindh, 291, 744 ha of agricultural land was affected, amounting to 6 per cent of all agricultural land. It is estimated that floods resulted in US$1.23 billion in agricultural losses across Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Widespread crop and livestock losses, along with disrupted harvests and markets, also led to higher food prices in some areas, with a 25 per cent increase reported for wheat flour prices from 28 August to 4 September.

Home and livelihood losses, coupled with higher market prices, have increased the vulnerability of already vulnerable households, who upon return to their homes and communities, still require humanitarian assistance for basic needs but also early recovery interventions to transition to self-sustainability. The situation is further compounded by high levels of pre-existing food insecurity and malnutrition across many districts because of high food prices, limited market access, and the impacts of extreme weather events. According to the last Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, 11 million people are currently facing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC 3 and above), including 1.7 million people in Emergency conditions (IPC 4), a classification characterized by large food gaps and high levels of acute malnutrition.

With flood waters receding, the Government is now focusing on recovery and reconstruction, though humanitarian needs remain as few households have the economic means to access basic services, rebuild their homes and restore livelihoods. According to affected communities, priority needs include health services (mobile clinics, medicines, disease surveillance), WASH (safe water, sanitation, hygiene kits), shelter and non-food items (NFIs) (tents, bedding, mosquito nets, winterization), food assistance (dry rations, cooked meals), livelihood recovery, and psychosocial support.

Though national and provincial authorities are expected to provide cash grants to affected families to cover some losses, gaps will remain, including access to basic services. With the winter season well underway in the north, the urgency to implement longer-term interventions remains, particularly for affected families in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan administrative territory. Any recovery will also require sustained support and longer-term investment to strengthen the resilience of communities susceptible to riverine and flash floods.