Three times as many people have died in torrential monsoon rains in Pakistan since the start of July compared to the same period last year, with the death toll reaching more than 700, including 173 children, since the rains started, Save the Children said [1]. 

Pakistan has already received 50% more rainfall than this time last year during the monsoon season, which peaks between June and September, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and more rain is forecast. 

More than 300 people have died in the north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since 15 August after cloudbursts - a rare weather phenomenon in which more than 100mm of rain falls within an hour in a highly concentrated area - triggered massive downpours and flash floods. [1] [2]. 

About 60 schools have been damaged or destroyed in the province, potentially impacting education for up to 8,000 children when classes start at the end of August, according to preliminary data from the provincial authorities. 

This year’s monsoon season has caused destruction across Asia. Research from Save the Children found that for children born in 2020, if global temperature rise is limited to 1.5°C, about 5 million would be spared from unprecedented lifetime exposure to river floods. Despite having contributed the least to the climate crisis, children are bearing the brunt of its impacts – particularly children most impacted by inequality and discrimination and in low and middle-income countries, like Pakistan [3].