‘We are drowning’: Pakistan floods push toxic lake over edge

Heavy rain compounds decades-long environmental catastrophe at country's largest freshwater lake

Maula Bakhsh Mala's village was submerged by Lake Manchar for the third time last week. What bad luck we have," said the 68-year-old fisher. When there is no water in the lake, we are starving. When there is plenty of water, we are drowning."

Late last month, after weeks of heavy rain and flooding, Pakistan declared a state of emergency. The UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, has described the rain as a monsoon on steroids". Earlier this month, satellite images showed one-third of the country has experienced severe flooding.