Highlighting climate extreme events as most serious challenges in the way of macroeconomic developments, experts at a consultation stressed the need for urgent, coordinated, and locally-driven strategies to minimize intensifying heatwaves and drought risks in Pakistan.
The consultation, titled: Heat and Drought Adaptation Strategies in Pakistan, was organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here on Monday. Zainab Naeem, the Head of Ecological Sustainability and Circular Economy at SDPI, said Pakistan’s development trajectory is increasingly vulnerable to climate shocks that a single disaster can wipe out decades-long progress.
She stressed that global warming trends, including abnormal ocean temperature rises mentioned in recent reports of World Meteorological Organization (WMO), were already affecting agriculture through intensified monsoon bursts and rising temperatures.
She warned that the emerging threat of a potential El Niño-Southern Oscillation (Super El Niño) could further exacerbate climate extremes, underscoring the need for proactive preparedness rather than reactive responses. Although Pakistan has devised several heat-related policies after the 2015 heatwave, most lacked localized implementation frameworks and enforcement mechanisms, she added.
Arif Goheer, Executive Director, Global Change Impact Studies Centre (GCISC), observed that the frequency and intensity of climate extreme events had increased significantly after 2015, yet adaptation planning remained insufficient. Discussing that more than 2,000 deaths had been linked to heatwaves in recent years, he stressed the need for integrated heat-resilient crops, water management strategies, and coordinated drought response plans at provincial and district levels.
He went on to say that Pakistan had established disaster management institutions such as the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). He also highlighted record-breaking temperatures, including 58.3°C in Mohenjo-daro, as evidence of the growing severity of heat stress.
Dr Nausheen Anwar, Director, Karachi Urban Lab, said rising urban temperatures had become a political and governance challenge in Pakistan, particularly in mega cities.
Referring to the 2015 Karachi heatwave, which claimed over 1,200 lives, she noted that night-time temperatures in Karachi had increased by about 2.4°C, while daytime temperatures in cities like Jacobabad and Larkana had reached between 49°C and 50°C.
She pointed out that indoor heat exposure had largely been ignored in policy frameworks, She warned that heat impacts were not gender neutral, disproportionately affecting women in informal settlements with limited access to electricity and water.
She called for community-based gender-disaggregated data and inclusive urban planning approaches.
Dr. Qaiser Imran, Manager Research at National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), highlighted the absence of policy frameworks to address indoor heat exposure. He emphasized to strengthen coordination among provincial and district disaster management authorities to improve implementation of existing laws and strategies.
Bushra Gul, Programme Representative at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said Pakistan must shift from crisis response to integrated drought management, climate governance, and disaster risk reduction approaches.
She stressed the importance of nature-based solutions, early warning systems, drought-resistant crop varieties, and enhanced private sector participation in resilience-building initiatives amid shrinking international climate finance.
Anam Rathor, Country Lead of Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), said climate vulnerability in Pakistan was unevenly distributed with heatwaves affecting urban populations differently from drought-hit farming communities in southern Punjab. She also stressed the need for anticipatory financing tools such as climate insurance to protect vulnerable households from income shocks caused by disasters.
Farah Akram, Meteorologist at Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), said that heatwaves and droughts were interconnected hazards producing compound impacts across sectors, including agriculture and water resources.
She emphasized improving drought monitoring systems, satellite-based forecasting, and timely dissemination of early warning information to farmers and local communities.
Samina Kiran, Programme Specialist at UNDP, cited solar-powered water systems in drought-hit areas of Sindh and Balochistan as examples of locally-led adaptation initiatives that improved access to irrigation and drinking water.