Heavy monsoon rains force school closures in south-western Pakistan

DPAIslamabadPakistani authorities closed all educational institutions in the south-western province of Balochistan on Monday after flash floods triggered by heavy rains disconnected the region from the rest of the country.The Balochistan government ordered the closure of schools for one week as more rains and floods are expected in the coming days, a spokesperson for the provincial government said.Train operations in Balochistan and Sindh have been suspended after the track was washed away at several points in the two provinces.The country’s largest but scarcely populated province Balochistan remains disconnected from the rest of the country as highways were still underwater and bridges have been washed away.Rescuers are using boats and military helicopters to rescue those trapped by the flooding that affected around two million people, leaving 317,896 people to take shelter at relief camps, according to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).The death toll has reached around 800 since June but is expected to rise.The rainfall had been preceded by back-to-back heatwaves in the two provinces.Flash floods, heatwaves, cloudbursts, droughts and smog resulting in low air quality have been on the rise in Pakistan in recent years.Pakistan is ranked number eight in the list of counties most vulnerable to climate change, despite contributing less than 1 percent of global carbon emissions. The country’s climate change minister has called the threat from global warning an existential one.