Floods, landslides, glacial melts, and deadly heatwaves are just some of the climate threats looming over Pakistan, increasing in frequency and intensity. This month, Pakistan and neighboring regions have faced extreme flooding, cloudbursts, and landslides, causing widespread human and animal displacement across KPK and Punjab.
Since 2022, Pakistan has faced devastating flooding that has killed and displaced thousands of people across the country. Millions of acres were submerged and destroyed, causing serious crop losses and cattle deaths in Punjab. Glacial lake outbursts and flash floods swept away entire roads and villages, killing dozens in Northern Pakistan. The UN reported over 1,700 deaths in the 2022 floods alone, and an estimated $40 billion in economic losses, making it one of the most expensive disasters in Pakistan’s history.
We need to realize that we are no longer facing slow-onset climate change, but rapidly escalating climate disasters.
As of early September, 880 lives have been lost during the monsoon this year. The cloudburst in Buner, KPK caused widespread casualties and displaced hundreds. Ishaq Khan, a resident of Buner, reported that the town ran out of shrouds to cover the bodies of those who lost their lives. Within seconds, a massive amount of water, mud, and rocks swept away homes and shops, burying everything in its path. Recent floods across KPK and Punjab exposed the country’s poor disaster management, weak infrastructure, and flawed rescue operations. With forecasts predicting further torrential rain and floods, Pakistan continues to struggle in the face of this calamity.
Lahore and surrounding areas have been inundated by floods. People have lost homes, cars, furniture, and appliances worth millions of rupees due to housing societies built in flood-prone areas, losses that could have been avoided with proper planning. Geologist Amna Shafqat warned that poor urban planning and neglect of environmental impact reports have worsened the damage. The controversial Ravi project, revived under Imran Khan’s government despite repeated local warnings, reflects how unchecked development in flood-prone areas worsens vulnerability. What Pakistan is experiencing is a climate emergency that demands urgent action. In a country where infrastructure is already not up to the mark, authorities are breaching roads to redirect floodwaters. This is a short-term measure that exposes infrastructure weaknesses. Authorities must fix infrastructure gaps, strengthen rescue operations, and improve water storage and drainage. Floodwaters have also brought snakes, waterborne illnesses, and the threat of malaria and dengue. Illegal construction on riverbeds has amplified the destruction. People building housing societies and commercial buildings on riverbeds and flood-risk areas must face strict legal penalties. Settlements and housing societies built on riverbeds or flood routes are bound to be reclaimed by nature.
Climate change is accelerating faster than Pakistan’s ability to cope. The country’s northern ranges are experiencing rapid glacial melting due to rising temperatures. Over 3,000 glacial lakes have formed in GB and KPK, posing a constant threat of sudden Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs). These regions already lack basic infrastructure and medical facilities, yet over 7 million lives and livelihoods remain at risk. Local and national cooperation is needed to prepare residents for impending disasters. Communities must be trained to send and receive early warnings. Rescue systems must be upgraded to international standards.
While the north faces glacial outbursts and flash floods, southern provinces are battling an opposite reality: drought and desertification. Sindh and Balochistan have been facing acute water scarcity, prolonged droughts, and extreme land degradation. These circumstances endanger agriculture, causing crop failures, livestock losses, and food shortages, pushing rural populations into financial hardship. Environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, and increasing dust storms exacerbate the crisis, driving certain populations to relocate. Immediate, sustainable approaches to land and water management are essential for safeguarding at-risk communities.
Climate-induced displacement is a global issue, yet Pakistan has failed to keep records of climate-driven migration. Due to a lack of official statistics, it is difficult to ascertain the economic and social impact of climate-induced displacement in Pakistan. There is a great human cost attached to these disasters; they bring not only death but also the loss of homes, livelihoods, and agriculture. As people are forced to migrate elsewhere, informal settlements are created in cities already struggling to keep up with their existing population. This fuels urban poverty, street crime, and drug use. A poverty trap is established wherein displacement deepens cycles of deprivation.
We need to realize that we are no longer facing slow-onset climate change, but rapidly escalating climate disasters. Therefore, forced displacement is inevitable. That is why we need urgent state recognition of climate migrants. Lacking legal recognition, climate migrants remain invisible in national policies, left out of official aid programs, and deprived of protections that are accessible to those displaced by conflict. Authorities need to start collecting data on climate-induced displacement. They must also pass legislation safeguarding the rights of displaced persons, creating mechanisms to provide security, health, education, and psychological help to displaced communities that are at risk of economic and social marginalization.
NDMA, PDMA, NADRA, and local authorities need to coordinate and plan the mobilization of displaced communities, and equip themselves with sufficient short-term disaster management tools along with a long-term rehabilitation plan for survivors. Local governments need to be empowered with adequate resources to create prevention strategies, rescue plans, and have an early and efficient warning system. Urban planners and environmental experts need to be engaged to assess future environmental risks and design solutions. If the state fails to treat this as a climate emergency, it will be inviting unmanageable trouble for future governance.
The writer is a lawyer and journalist based in Islamabad.