Pakistan is going through one of its strongest and deadliest monsoons ever. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Office and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the current monsoon season and the heavy rain accompanying it will continue till the middle of September.

As of August 17, since the monsoons began at the end of June, over 650 people have lost their lives, and hundreds more are missing. There has been extensive damage to roads, infrastructure and private property, the extent of which will only become known in the coming days when the monsoon ends and the floodwaters subside.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been particularly badly hit, with one district alone, Buner, losing over 200 precious lives, and hundreds more missing. In this district, an entire village has been wiped out and the valley floor, which used to have dozens of homes built on it, is strewn with massive boulders and rocks bigger than cars, all brought down from the surrounding mountains by the floodwaters.

At the time this column was being written, the monsoon had finally reached Karachi with full intensity. The city has been experiencing frequent spells of very heavy rain, and it is forecast to run through to the coming weekend. Karachi, unfortunately, is no stranger to urban flooding – though........

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