As floods continue to cause massive devastation across Pakistan, health experts have warned of potential health risks, including a cholera outbreak, if immediate preventive measures are not taken.
Since late June, a heavier-than-usual monsoon, followed by floods and landslides, has affected more than 6 million people, according to the United Nations.
Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority said that more than 1,000 people have been killed, more than 12,500 houses damaged and 6,500 livestock lost in addition to the widespread destruction of crops across the country.
More than 2 million people have also been displaced, with health officials warning that affected areas across the country will remain highly susceptible to waterborne diseases, including cholera.
Cholera is a bacterial infection transmitted through contaminated food and water. It can cause severe diarrhoea, vomiting and muscle cramps. It can kill within hours without treatment, though simple oral rehydration or antibiotics can save lives.
Due to a rise in the number of displacement camps, unhygienic conditions at such sites can also significantly increase the risk of infections, according to infectious disease specialist Dr Shobha Luxmi.
“Access to clean water, hygiene and nutritional support must be prioritised in relief efforts,” Luxmi said.
The British Red Cross warned that “there’s a lack of proper toilets for people living in shelters, public buildings or emergency camps on higher ground”.
“There’s also a lack of handwashing facilities,” the group said. “This means that diseases like dysentery and cholera can spread very rapidly in overcrowded places,” it added.
Climate change is seen as one of the several factors contributing to the floods in Pakistan.
The country ranks among the top 10 most climate-vulnerable nations, but it contributes less than 1 percent of global emissions. The Climate Rate Index report in 2025 put Pakistan at the top of the list of the most affected countries based on 2022 data.
Extensive flooding that followed record heatwaves and intense rains submerged approximately a third of the country in 2022, affecting 33 million people – including killing more than 1,700 – and causing $14.8bn worth of damages as well as $15.2bn of economic losses.
Last year, more floods affected thousands, and a heatwave killed almost 600 people.
The gradual rise in temperatures is also forcing the melting of the 13,000-plus glaciers in Pakistan, increasing the risk of flooding, damage to infrastructure, loss of life and land, threats to communities, and water scarcity.
Earlier this year, rights group Amnesty International said in a report that “Pakistan’s healthcare and disaster response systems are failing to meet the needs of children and older people who are most at risk of death and disease amid extreme weather events related to climate change”.
“Rising temperatures drive ever more intense and unpredictable weather. Children and older people in Pakistan are suffering on the front line of the climate crisis, exposed to extreme heat or floods that lead to disproportionate levels of death and disease,” said Laura Mills, researcher with Amnesty International’s crisis response programme.
“Pakistan’s healthcare system is woefully underfunded and overstretched, even in non-emergency times. The climate emergency creates an extra strain that is unbearable and the system is failing to deliver adequate care to those in need.”
This story was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center.
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