پاکستان میں ماحولیاتی تبدیلی اور سیلابی آفات: اثرات، چیلنجز اور حکمتِ عملی کا تحقیقی جائزہ

Climate Change and Flood Disasters in Pakistan: A Research Review of Impacts, Challenges and Strategies

Abstract

Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, where erratic weather patterns, glacial melt and rising global temperatures are reshaping the socio-economic and environmental landscape. The devastating monsoon floods of 2025 once again highlighted the severity of this crisis, demonstrating how intensified rainfall and inadequate disaster preparedness can compound human and economic losses. This study critically examines the nexus between climate change and flood disasters in Pakistan, with a particular focus on the 2025 flood context. It explores the multifaceted consequences of the floods, including loss of human lives, large-scale displacement, public health emergencies, agricultural destruction, economic disruption and the collapse of local infrastructure. The findings indicate that weak early warning systems, delayed institutional responses and insufficient financial resources exacerbated the magnitude of damage, while vulnerable groups, especially women and children, faced disproportionate hardships. The paper also identifies broader environmental repercussions, such as soil erosion, biodiversity loss and long-term challenges to food security. In response, the study proposes short-term, medium-term and long-term strategies: immediate rescue and relief efforts, climate-resilient infrastructure development, ecological restoration, enhanced climate financing mechanisms and strengthened regional water governance. The overall argument emphasizes that Pakistan must move beyond reactive approaches to disasters and instead adopt an integrated, evidence-based and sustainable climate adaptation framework. Only through comprehensive planning, community resilience building and international cooperation can Pakistan mitigate the escalating risks of climate-induced floods and safeguard its socio-economic future.