WWF: climate change fuelling disasters

Pakistan is facing an increasing threat from climate change as rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, floods, droughts and glacial lake outburst floods continue to put communities, agriculture and infrastructure at risk, according to a new report released by WWF-Pakistan.

The findings, published in WWF-Pakistan's quarterly magazine Natura, said the 2025 monsoon brought exceptionally heavy rainfall across Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, causing widespread flooding and extensive damage.

The report said that on August 26, 2025, rainfall reached 538 millimetres in Udhampur, 310 millimetres in Jammu and Samba, while Pakistan's Sialkot received 362.3 millimetres of rain. Heavy precipitation in the upper catchments of the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers further intensified downstream flooding.

According to the report, nearly two million people were affected in Punjab, where more than 2.5 million acres of land were inundated. It added that around 1.2 million acres of agricultural land were damaged, destroying rice, cotton and sugarcane crops and raising concerns over food security.

WWF-Pakistan estimated agricultural losses at about $2 billion. More than 229,760 houses were damaged or destroyed, while schools, health facilities and drinking water infrastructure were severely affected.

Flood-related displacement forced thousands of people to seek temporary shelter, and stagnant water contributed to outbreaks of cholera, diarrhoea, typhoid, malaria and dengue, the report said.

The report noted that Pakistan remains among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, deforestation, encroachments on natural waterways and unplanned development increasing the severity of floods and other climate-related disasters.