A furious monsoon has unleashed catastrophe across South Asia, leaving over 800 dead since June and forcing Pakistan’s Punjab to call in the army. In Indian-controlled Kashmir, flash floods and a landslide on a sacred Hindu pilgrimage route crushed 34 devotees, while thousands fled in terror. Across the border, 210,000 people have been displaced, including near the revered Sikh shrine of Guru Nanak in Narowal, as villages vanished under water. Authorities in Pakistan blasted riverbanks on the Chenab to save key barrages, but torrents swallowed homes, fields, and livestock. Lahore witnessed frantic overnight evacuations of 20,000 residents as the Ravi and Sutlej rivers rose menacingly. In a rare twist, India warned Pakistan of dam releases, a move credited with saving 1.5 lakh lives, even as experts warn next year’s monsoons could be 22% harsher. The unfolding disaster now threatens to spiral into one of the region’s deadliest climate tragedies.
