Pakistani Delivery Riders Battle Floods and Poverty Amid Monsoon Rains
LAHORE/KARACHI – Wading through waist-high floodwater in Lahore’s old quarter, 19-year-old Abbas kept moving with his delivery bag, his jeans soaked and sandals slipping. The risk of electrocution and disease didn’t matter as much as the fear of losing his job.
“If I don’t deliver the orders, my Foodpanda account will get blocked,” he told AFP. “I need this money to pay my school fees.”
Across Pakistan, record-breaking monsoon rains have already killed more than 1,000 people since June. Rivers have overflowed, villages have been destroyed, and big cities like Lahore and Karachi have faced severe urban flooding. Poorly planned development and clogged drainage systems have worsened the crisis.
For young men like Abbas, who make around $7 a day on good days, the work is relentless. To reach a modest monthly income of $140, he rides seven days a week, often more than 10 hours a day.
In Karachi, 23-year-old Muhammad Khan zigzags his motorbike through muddy, pothole-filled streets. “Customers behave rudely and you have to handle all the stress,” he said.
Pakistan, where nearly half the population lives below the poverty line, is considered one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries. Yet its poorest are left exposed, with little protection.
Doctors warn that constant exposure to dirty water brings health risks – fungal infections, flu, and skin diseases. But riders keep working. A report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says flooding is not only due to extreme weather but also to “clogged drains, poor infrastructure, and encroachments.”
Gig economy workers, nearly half a million in Pakistan, remain without legal protection. The International Labour Organisation says they face systemic violations of labour rights.
For 38-year-old Muneer Ahmed, who left a chef’s job to join Bykea deliveries, rains mean silence. “When it rains, customers use buses or rickshaws. I just wait. Rain is a curse for the poor,” he said, staring at his phone on a flooded Karachi street.
The struggle extends beyond delivery riders. Daily-wage labourers like Zahid Masih, 44, haven’t found work in days. Taking shelter under a bridge with other masons, he explained, “Jobs come only after the rain stops. Our stoves won’t be lit if we sit idle.”
For Pakistan’s working poor, the monsoon season is not just about heavy rain — it’s about survival.
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