ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik said on Wednesday that the country’s northern areas are expected to receive higher-than-usual snowfall this year, while the 2026 monsoon is expected to bring 22 to 26 per cent more rainfall than this year.
The minister was addressing a news conference in Islamabad along with Chairman National Disaster Management Authority Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik.
Monsoon rains sweep across the region from June to September, bringing relief from the intense summer heat and serving as a vital source for replenishing water reserves.
Yet these rains also often lead to severe flooding, landslides, and displacement, especially in vulnerable areas with poor drainage or high population density.
According to data from Punjab’s disaster management authority, this year’s floods have impacted at least 4.7 million people in 4,700 villages.
“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,” he said.
He noted that the country’s political debate often overlooks those most affected by extreme weather, asserting that climate vulnerability should be the “core” around which national politics is shaped.
He added that the prime minister chaired an extensive meeting earlier in the day, during which assessments were presented on riverine flooding, mountain torrents, urban flooding, coastal threats, and glacial lake outburst floods.
Malik outlined a three-tier government strategy: a 240–250 day “fix what is broken” phase to repair damaged dykes and floodgates; a one-to-three-year expansion phase to upgrade undersized infrastructure, including Karachi’s drainage system; and a three-to-five-year plan to develop resilient systems.
He further stated that the prime minister has directed the integration of early warning systems at the tehsil and district levels, moving alerts away from Islamabad to ensure that local administrations receive the earliest notifications.
The minister said the NDMA is fully capable of predicting the tendencies of disasters and assessing their impacts with up to 95 percent accuracy months in advance.
He added that northern areas are expected to receive higher-than-usual snowfall this year, while an early heatwave may rapidly melt snow and cause flooding. He said the 2026 monsoon is projected to bring 22 to 26 per cent more rainfall than this year’s.
The Minister said the NDMA is taking all necessary steps to remain fully prepared for emergencies and is in close coordination with all provinces to minimise the climate-induced losses.
Speaking on the occasion, Chairman NDMA Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik said Pakistan is among the top five countries most affected by climate change, with rising global temperatures further intensifying the severity of weather events each year.
