The devastating floods that have swept through KP, Punjab and Sindh have left an endless trail of death and destruction. In recent years, the intensity and frequency of floods, torrential rains, cloudbursts, windstorms, heatwaves, and droughts have risen sharply. Tens of millions of farmers, especially those holding less than 12.5 acres, are the worst sufferers in flood-affected areas.
Out of 11.7 million farms in the country, nearly 97 per cent of farms are smaller than 12.5 acres. The Kharif crops have almost been wiped out, leaving them with no fallback option. They face the challenge of sustaining their families, as they have lost their wheat stocks and, in many cases, livestock as well. They also have no resources to secure agricultural inputs for the upcoming Rabi (wheat) crop, whose sowing is just over a month away.
Since mid-August, torrential rains, flash floods and cloudbursts have killed more than 500 people across the country, including in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Gilgit-Baltistan region. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been the worst-hit, where swollen rivers, mudslides and collapsing homes have wiped entire families and villages. According to media reports, almost 1000 people have died in rain-triggered floods and landslides nationwide since late June.
At present the government is in a firefighting mode and seems to have no plans to adopt long-term proactive adaptation measures. Like in the past, the government is focussing on short-term relief programmes for affected farmers. But as reported in the media, these efforts are sloppy and marred by corruption, incompetence and bureaucratic delays. Khalid Hussain Batth, Chairman of Kissan Ittehad, recently disclosed that a large number of farmers have not yet received the compensation amount announced for the 2022 flood victims.
The flood disaster in KP and Punjab has been largely caused by unchecked settlements on riverbeds in rural and urban areas. Across the Sutlej and Ravi rivers, houses and livestock sheds have been built on raised mud platforms in the riverbeds. These obstructions have narrowed the river’s natural water-carrying capacity, leading to the inundation of vast tracts. On both sides. Such structures have resulted in immense pressure on upstream embankments and bunds. On the other hand, widespread deforestation has stripped the country of natural flood buffers. This has added to the frequency and intensity of floods.
Experts are of the opinion that to deal with future flood emergencies, Pakistan must focus on building resilience through a mix of natural and structural remedies. They advocate restoring wetlands, mangroves and floodplains to absorb excess water, clearing illegal construction from drainage channels, and upgrading city drainage systems with green infrastructure. Simultaneously, measures should be taken to promote flood-resilient farming backed by insurance and other social safety nets. Further, pre-monsoon drain cleaning, early warning systems, and community shelters can help save many lives.
Along with removing encroachments on riverbeds and river banks, larger investments in watershed management and resilient housing can go a long way in fighting future floods.
Given the growing scale of climate-induced calamities, it has become imperative for the government to move from a relief-based response to pre-emptive risk management mechanisms. This is particularly urgent for floods, which, unlike droughts and heatwaves, have a sudden and devastating impact on vast agricultural lands, often causing long-term soil degradation. Equally urgent is the need to strengthen the financial resilience of farmers in flood-prone areas. At present, the scope of the federal government’s Crop Loan Insurance Scheme has remained narrow and restrictive, which defeats its intended purpose. It covers only small- and medium-sized farmers (up to 25 acres) who take agricultural production loans from banks, excluding millions of non-borrowing farmers. Moreover, coverage is limited to major field crops — wheat, rice, cotton, maize, and sugarcane.
As climate change and attendant risks mount with each passing year, the case for universal crop insurance has become imperative. Such a scheme should ensure that all farmers — regardless of landholding size, access to bank loans, or crop type — are automatically covered against flood risk, with a meaningful sum insured that can genuinely protect their livelihoods. Advances in computer-based modelling now make it possible to mark flood-prone areas precisely, factoring in weather forecasts, topography of the area, and hydrological data.
Creating space for rivers during flood season and extending crop insurance to all farmers in flood-prone areas are two important measures needed to address the flood challenge on a long term basis. Financial resources are there but the question is whether the government has the political will to develop and implement such a policy package. Needless to say, in case the recommended remedial measures are not put in place at the earliest possible, Pakistan will face the threat of food insecurity, water shortages and mass migration in the future.