Umamah Bakharia

Pakistan continues to deal with the heavy monsoon season as the latest death toll from rain-related incidents has risen to 147 people over the past month.

The National Disaster Management Authority says 88 women and children were among the dead. The monsoon rains also damaged homes, roads, bridges and power stations across the country.

Speaking to Radio Islam International live from Balochistan, Dost Muhammad Barrech a research associate at the Islamabad Institute of Strategic Studies says this isn’t the first time such incidents have happened as climate change has been affecting Pakistan.

“They have been many factors that have been contributing to this like climate change, disaster risk and most importantly there is also poor urbent planning in Karachi,” says Barrech as he explains how pavements and roads are covered by the floods.

According to Barrech, political parties have been using the issue of the monsoon against each other. “For example, they used the towers and the sewage system and blocked roads in order to malign the opposition,” he says.

Adding that Pakistan has been facing non-traditional threats like climate change.

Even though the government has been assisting, Barrech says people have not been made aware of the foreseen floods. “People here do not have a civic responsibility and they are also disturbing nature like the drainage system,” says Barrech.