Mounting flood devastation

The floods sweeping across Punjab have caused extensive damage to agriculture and livelihoods, with Sindh now braced for similar destruction as waters move south along the Indus. Early estimates suggest that 60% of the rice crop, 35% of cotton and 30% of sugarcane in central and southern Punjab have been lost. More than 1.8 million people across the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej basins have already been affected. The consequences for food security and the wider economy will be severe.

Amid this backdrop, the Pakistan Business Forum has rightfully urged the government to declare an agricultural emergency. It has warned that the losses already run into billions of rupees, threatening rural incomes and economic stability. Its proposal for interest-free loans to small and medium farmers, and the activation of price control committees to prevent hoarding, deserves serious consideration.

Imports of wheat and rice through public and private channels may also be unavoidable to contain shortages and stabilise domestic markets. These are urgent steps that cannot be delayed. The state's chronic neglect of water management is evident. Floods of this scale have become a near-annual occurrence, yet encroachments along riverbanks remain, and provincial departments continue to underperform, while little progress has been made on local water storage and drainage systems.

The government must respond on two fronts. In the immediate term, relief must reach farmers and displaced families without delay, and markets must be protected from profiteering. In the longer term, reforms in canal infrastructure and riverbank management are indispensable. The country cannot afford a cycle in which each flood brings devastation, followed by piecemeal relief and a return to complacency. The costs are rising, and the burden will be carried not only by farmers but by the economy as a whole.