Monsoon misery

The devastating monsoon rains that have swept through the country since late June have once again laid bare the state's unpreparedness to deal with extreme weather events. According to NDMA, at least 299 people - including 140 children - have lost their lives, while more than 700 have been injured in incidents of flash flooding, roof collapses and other rain-related accidents. The agency says the rains, which began on June 26, have damaged at least 1,676 homes and displaced scores of families across Pakistan. These figures, grim as they are, are unlikely to reflect the full scale of human and material loss in areas where access is limited and data collection remains patchy.

Every monsoon season brings with it the same cycle of misery. Yet little changes year after year. It is evident that while the state is quick to issue alerts and death tolls, its ability to implement long-term resilience strategies remains weak. The high number of child casualties, in particular, underlines the acute vulnerability of poor and marginalised communities, who are often forced to live in unsafe housing and high-risk areas due to a lack of affordable alternatives. While global climate finance and international support remain critical, there is an urgent need for domestic reforms. These include improving early warning systems, investing in flood protection infrastructure, enforcing building regulations and empowering local governments to undertake disaster risk reduction at the community level. Moreover, accountability must be established for negligence in preparedness and post-disaster response.

The rising death tolls cannot simply be accepted as unfortunate byproducts of natural calamities. Many of these deaths are the result of governance failures and a lack of political will. As climate change accelerates, the space for inaction is rapidly shrinking. The state must recognise that preparedness is not optional. It is imperative.