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By Ariba Shahid and Asif Shahzad
KARACHI/ ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Massive floods in Pakistan have struck both the rural heartland and industrial centres for the first time in decades, causing billions of dollars in damage while straining food supplies, exports and a fragile economic recovery.
The government had been optimistic about 2026, pencilling in 4.2% growth on the back of a rebound in farming and manufacturing after the economy was stabilised under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund bailout.
Instead, record monsoon rains since late June, amplified by dam releases from India, have submerged large swathes of Punjab and Sindh, the two most populous and economically vital provinces.
While waters have yet to recede in many districts, officials and analysts warn the hit could be deeper than in 2022, when a third of the country lay under water, due to dual shocks to agriculture and manufacturing.
Out on the plains, satellite images have traced the scale. A report from agricultural monitoring initiative GEOGLAM estimates at least 220,000 hectares of rice fields flooded between August 1 and September 16.
In Punjab, Pakistan’s rice, cotton and maize engine, 1.8 million acres of farmland have been inundated, according to the provincial disaster management agency.
Pakistan Floods Batter Fields, Factories and Fiscal Plans
