Drought warning issued as Pakistan deals with dwindling rains

The Pakistan Metereological Department (PMD) has issued a drought alert as the country grapples with a significant shortfall in average rainfall. 

The aftermath of a significantly dry winter season has seen the country witness a 40 percent decrease in rains from September 1, 2024 to March 21, 2025, PMD has stated. 

Sindh witnessed the greatest shortfall at 62 percent below normal, followed by Balochistan at 52 percent, Punjab at 38 percent, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 35 percent and Azad Jammu & Kashmir received 29 percent less rain than average.

In January, PMD had said that parts of Punjab, nearly all of Sindh and half of Balochistan were facing "mild drought" and predicted that "flash droughts" might hit parts of the country in the warmer months. 

Although recent spells of rains have improved conditions in the central and northern regions of the country, drought conditions still prevail in Sindh, eastern Punjab and the south of Balochistan. 

PMD also warned of severe water shortage in Tarbela and Mangla dams, while noting that March temperatures in southern areas have been 2 to 3 degrees Celsius above normal. Some regions in the South of the country recorded as much as 200 consecutive days without rain. 

The PMD warning comes almost three years after record rainfall caused biblical floods in the country in monsoon season, inundating almost 33 percent of the country's land mass.