The monsoon season in Pakistan this year has once again turned deadly. Since late June 2025, heavy rains and flash floods have swept through many parts of the country, including Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir. The destruction has been heartbreaking—over 200 lives lost, many more injured, and dozens still missing. Entire families have been displaced as their homes were either washed away or severely damaged. In the middle of all this, roads collapsed, power lines snapped, and communities were left without clean drinking water or basic medical care.
What makes this tragedy even more alarming is that this is not the first time Pakistan has experienced such devastation. Just three years ago in 2022, the country saw one of its worst flood disasters in history. Back then, nearly 1,700 people died, over 30 million were displaced, and the economic loss crossed $30 billion. While the current floods might not match those numbers yet, the pattern is clear and deeply worrying: climate change is pushing Pakistan into a dangerous cycle of repeated disasters.
This year’s floods were triggered by a deadly combination of extreme heat and unusually intense monsoon rains. In northern areas like Gilgit-Baltistan, temperatures soared above 48°C, causing glaciers to melt rapidly. This led to sudden surges of water from glacial lakes—what scientists call “glacial lake outburst floods”—which rushed down mountains, destroying everything in their path. At the same time, lowland regions like Chakwal in Punjab received more than double the usual rainfall. In one shocking instance, over 400 mm of rain fell in a single event. With such enormous amounts of water pouring in from both sky and mountains, floods became inevitable.
Experts have been warning about this for years. As the climate warms, the atmosphere holds more moisture, resulting in heavier rains. Warmer temperatures also accelerate glacier melting, particularly in mountainous countries like Pakistan. This makes the country highly vulnerable to both slow-onset disasters like droughts and sudden disasters like floods.
Children have been among the worst affected this time. Reports suggest that more than half of those killed are minors. Families are grieving not only the loss of loved ones, but also the complete breakdown of daily life. Schools have been closed. Hospitals are overwhelmed. Relief efforts, while ongoing, have struggled to reach remote areas. In Swat Valley, public anger grew after it was revealed that local officials were slow to act. Several district officers have been suspended, but that is little comfort for those already suffering.
Pakistan’s geography—its rivers, plains, and mountains—makes it naturally flood-prone. But what turns a natural event into a human disaster is poor planning and weak infrastructure. Many towns still lack proper drainage systems. Cities have grown rapidly, often without regard for flood zones or safe construction practices. On top of that, Pakistan’s emergency systems remain underfunded and poorly coordinated. Even today, large parts of the country don’t have proper early warning systems, leaving people helpless when disasters strike.
This crisis is a reminder that climate change is not a distant problem—it’s here, and it’s hitting the most vulnerable the hardest. Pakistan is not a major contributor to global carbon emissions, but it is paying a heavy price for the actions of the world’s largest polluters. Still, the country cannot afford to wait for others to act. There is an urgent need for stronger flood defenses, better emergency preparedness, and smarter urban development. International support will be necessary, but domestic leadership is equally critical.
In the end, these floods are not just about water—they are about survival, justice, and the kind of future we want to build. Pakistan must take this wake-up call seriously. If we do not prepare better, the floods of 2025 will not be the last. They will just be a preview of worse disasters to come.
