Climate-induced disasters must be treated as a political priority: Musadik Malik

Minister for Climate Change Dr Musadik Malik on Wednesday said climate-induced disasters must be treated as a “political” priority as he detailed the long- and short-term strategies to mitigate losses and plan for the next year’s monsoon season.

Monsoon rains fall across the region from June to September, offering respite from the summer heat and are crucial to replenish water supplies. However, heavy downpours also trigger deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas.

Data from Punjab’s disaster management authority shows this year’s floods affected at least 4.7 million people across 4,700 villages.

Speaking at a press conference with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik in Islamabad today, the climate change minister stated that “climate-induced disasters must be treated as a political priority,” noting that the 2022 floods alone caused losses exceeding 9 per cent of the GDP.

“Since 2010, there have been four to five floods. The most recent one, which has passed, its [damage] is still being assessed,” Dr Malik pointed out. “[Over 4,500] people have died in these floods. This many people don’t die in wars.”

He said the country’s political discourse ignores those most affected by extreme weather, describing climate vulnerability as the “core” around which national politics should revolve.

He said the prime minister chaired a detailed meeting earlier in the day where and was presented with assessments of riverine flooding, mountain torrents, urban flooding, coastal risks and glacial lake outburst floods.

According to Dr Malik, the government will ensure a three-tier approach: a 240 to 250-day “fix what is broken” phase focused on repairing damaged dykes and floodgates; a one-to-three-year expansion phase to upgrade undersized infrastructure such as Karachi’s drainage; and a three-to-five-year programme to build resilient systems.

The minister said the prime minister has also directed the integration of early warning systems at the tehsil and district levels, shifting alerts away from Islamabad so that local administrations receive the initial alarms.

Temporary schooling for displaced children, mobile healthcare units for injured survivors, and community-level training in vulnerable districts are also part of the short-term plan.

The NDMA chairman highlighted that Pakistan remains among the world’s most climate-affected countries. He said NDMA’s forecast indicates that the 2026 monsoon could bring 22pc to 26pc more intense weather compared to this year.

“Disaster management is a devolved subject, but provinces and the federation have to work together [to combat losses],” he said, adding that tourism and movement would be controlled in June and July to mitigate damage.

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