KEY POINTS
- Punjab faces its worst floods in nearly four decades.
- Over 4.2 million people affected in Punjab.
- More than 1.05 million acres of farmland submerged.
- Farmers struggle as crops, homes, and livelihoods are destroyed.
- Pakistan needs $348 billion for climate adaptation by 2030.
- The country receives only $1.5–2 billion in annual climate funds.
- Pakistan secured $250 million from GCF, far less than its neighbours.
- Most post-2022 flood aid arrived as high-interest loans.
- Recovery remains painfully slow, worsening poverty and displacement.
- Global promises fade, leaving Pakistan unprepared for future disasters.
NAROWAL, Pakistan: In Zafarwal, a village located 28 kilometres northeast of Narowal city in Pakistan’s central Punjab province, middle-aged farmer Waqar Ali stands beside the remains of his home.
His fields—once lush with rice and vegetables—now lie deserted, submerged in floodwaters from the recent deluge. With limited resources, he often goes without food so that his children can eat—a sacrifice that is becoming harder for smallholder farmers to bear.
Left to cope alone
These personal struggles of those affected by the recent floods in Pakistan highlight the urgent need for policies that support families like Waqar’s.
Increased funding and stronger policy measures could help ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those most affected, fostering resilience in the face of climate disasters and fulfilling a broader humanitarian mission.
Flood-affected families often find themselves relying on their own resources, even in times of disaster. While the government has provided some assistance, Waqar says “it has barely reached my family or others in the village.”
Punjab under water
The Punjab province—house to more than half of the country’s population—has experienced its worst floods in nearly four decades.
Farmland has been destroyed, villages have been hit hard, and thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes.
According to the Rapid Needs Assessment (RNA) report published on ReliefWeb, the monsoon floods have affected 4.2 million people in Punjab alone. Meanwhile, according to the UN data, more than 6 million people have been affected across Pakistan since the unusually heavy monsoon rains began in late June.
About 161,700 houses were damaged—28 per cent completely destroyed and 72 per cent partially damaged. More than 1.05 million acres of farmland have been inundated.
Pakistan not only needs but also deserves climate financing. Countries like Pakistan face severe consequences—floods, droughts, cyclones, heatwaves, and forest fires—largely due to the actions of the Global North since the Industrial Revolution.” — Rafay Alam, environmental lawyer and activist
The floods have ruined rice, maize, and other crops in villages along the Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab Rivers.
District-wise data shows severe losses across multiple regions, but comprehensive figures for all affected areas remain difficult to consolidate due to the scale and complexity of the disaster.
Many farmers are still struggling, and families—especially women and children—are facing the toughest challenges.
Billions, yet barely enough
A United Nations report highlights a staggering $348 billion financing gap required for climate mitigation and adaptation efforts by 2030.
Despite being highly vulnerable to climate change, Pakistan continues to lag behind in securing international climate finance, while contributions from its domestic private sector remain notably minimal. The country receives only $1.5-2 billion annually from international climate funds.
The key sources include the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) managed by the World Bank.
The disparity underscores the urgent need for stronger action and equitable access to resources, given the ongoing climate crisis in Pakistan.
Paying for others’ sins
Rafay Alam, an environmental lawyer and activist, says “Pakistan not only needs but also deserves climate financing.”
He explains that countries like Pakistan face severe consequences—floods, droughts, cyclones, heatwaves, and forest fires—largely due to the actions of the Global North since the Industrial Revolution.
Therefore, he believes, Pakistan rightfully deserves climate funding from richer nations to restore its economy and dignity.
‘’Pakistan falls behind primarily due to its limited capacity to develop robust proposals for climate finance projects,” Alam notes.
“We also lack the capacity to effectively utilise climate funding in ways that boost our credibility for future opportunities. Mismanagement, corruption, and a lack of capacity, combined with the majority of funds being spent in urban areas, further slow progress,’’ he adds.
Promises versus reality
According to reports under the Green Climate Fund—the world’s largest dedicated climate finance mechanism—Pakistan has so far secured only $250 million, compared to India’s $782 million and Bangladesh’s $441 million, revealing a major funding gap that weakens its resilience against future climate shocks.
Almost three years after the 2022 floods, affected communities are still struggling to recover, though funding was promised. The gap between what was pledged and what has been done has grown much larger.” — South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR) Report
The Global Climate Rate Index 2025 ranked Pakistan as the most affected country based on 2022 data.
At that time, massive flooding inundated nearly one-third of the country, killed over 1,700 people, caused $14.8 billion in damage, and led to $15.2 billion in economic losses, pushing nine million people into poverty.
Despite promises of assistance from world leaders, less than $20 million in aid actually arrived, exposing a stark gap between pledges and delivery and calling for greater transparency and accountability.
Today, the crisis is even worse, with deeper damage and an escalating humanitarian emergency. Experts warn that recovery could now cost billions of dollars more, demanding sustained support and stronger climate governance in Pakistan.
Debt, not relief
Pakistan faces several barriers in accessing international climate funding, including weak institutional capacity, delayed fund disbursement, and an over-reliance on loans—all of which place additional strain on an already fragile economy.
Rafay says, “Traditional climate finance solutions can no longer adequately support Pakistan. Following the 2022 floods, we received $8 billion in pledges, primarily in the form of loans.
That $8 billion in pledges in loans was very little compared to the disaster, and right now, we don’t know how the climate finance will handle the massive amount of flood relief and the eventual reconstruction and rehabilitation we need to do.”
Aid trapped in loans
Poor governance and mismanagement have further deepened the crisis. Rafay explains that in a report for South Asian Human Rights (SAHR), they discovered widespread irregularities in the allocation and use of climate funds.
According to the report, “from the village of Dhand near Mohenjo Daro in Larkana district, 40 houses were destroyed, and only four single-room houses have been built so far. The mission was informed that residents face difficulties finding their names on the government-made beneficiary list. Some families still live in tents, while others stay in neighbours’ houses. Those who built houses after the floods are not included in the government list’’.
The report further states, “The fact-finding mission found that almost three years after the 2022 floods, affected communities are still struggling to recover, though funding was promised. The gap between what was pledged and what has been done has grown much larger.’’
The report also found that the way recovery was financed raises serious questions about climate justice.
Pakistan is responsible for less than 1 per cent of global emissions; its recovery depends on loans from organisations like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. This creates future financial pressure through higher taxes and fewer public services for citizens.
“Unlike the Loss and Damage Fund established at the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference, this debt-based model highlights ongoing issues in disaster recovery, including weak accountability, divided political responses, and limited capacity at the district level’’.
The evaporating promises
Nearly three years after the 2022 floods, Pakistan’s recovery remains a stark reminder of how global promises often fade once the waters recede.
The billions pledged in international aid have translated into only fragments of real support on the ground, leaving communities like Waqar’s to rebuild their lives with little more than resilience and despair.
As the country braces for yet another climate catastrophe, the unfulfilled pledges of 2022 stand not only as a symbol of global inaction but also as a warning—without timely, transparent, and equitable climate financing, Pakistan’s next disaster may be even harder to survive.
