Pakistan’s preliminary assessment shows $2.9 billion in flood damages, heavily impacting agriculture, infrastructure, and economic growth outlook.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has estimated total damages of $2.9 billion from recent widespread flooding, with agriculture and infrastructure among the hardest-hit sectors. The announcement was made by Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, during the launch of the ministry’s monthly development update and flood damage assessment report.
The report indicates that the floods have caused damages amounting to approximately Rs822 billion, including Rs430 billion ($1.53 billion) in agriculture losses and Rs307 billion ($1.1 billion) in damage to infrastructure. The floods have also severely impacted the housing sector, with an estimated 229,000 houses damaged across the country.
In terms of infrastructure, around 2,811 km of roads, 790 bridges, 129 public buildings, 2,267 schools, 243 healthcare facilities, 1,297 commercial areas, and 86 water infrastructure sites have sustained damage.
The economic impact is likely to be significant, with a forecasted decline in Pakistan’s GDP growth by 0.3 to 0.7 percentage points, lowering the projected rate to 3.5–3.9% for the fiscal year July 2025 to June 2026, compared to an earlier target of 4.2%. The floods may also result in 220,000 job losses, according to the preliminary figures.
Minister Iqbal outlined major agricultural losses, including the destruction of 3 to 3.4 million bales of cotton, 1 million tonnes of rice, and 1.3 to 3.3 million tonnes of sugarcane. He emphasised that these figures are subject to change depending on the duration and extent of waterlogging in the affected areas.
The government is currently undertaking a detailed post-disaster needs assessment, with plans focused on rebuilding critical infrastructure, restoring livelihoods, and strengthening resilience to future climate-related disasters.
