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very monsoon in Pakistan brings heartbreak, loss and the painful reminder that the country remains dangerously unprepared for natural disasters it faces with increasing frequency. This year, the climate crisis is not a distant forecast but a harsh reality. Deadly rains and melting glaciers have already claimed at least 57 lives, including 13 members of the same family swept away by flash floods in Swat Valley. These tragedies, despite early warnings, reveal the glaring absence of systematic, strategic communication and preparedness. As one of the countries most impacted by climate change losing over $2 billion annually to climate-related disasters and 23 percent of its glaciers since 1960, Pakistan can no longer afford to treat disaster readiness as an afterthought. Each ignored warning and inadequate response only deepen the crisis and magnifies the threat of the next storm.
The response to the Swat tragedy, as reported, is telling. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government’s announcement after the incident that it will purchase flood-rescue equipment reflects the typical reactionary approach that has become the standard operating procedure in the country. While acquiring such equipment is necessary, it is by no means sufficient. Equipment alone cannot save lives if the personnel tasked with using it are untrained; and if the communities most at risk remain uninformed and unprepared. Disaster management is as much about people and processes as it is about tools. There must be parallel efforts to train disaster management teams and to establish community-level programmes that provide basic disaster preparedness training to residents in vulnerable areas. In our case, it needs to be turned into a national requirement.
Experts have repeatedly warned that due to climate change, we will face more frequent and more severe weather events—floods, glacial lake outburst floods, heatwaves and droughts among them. Since 2010, the year of the catastrophic floods that displaced millions, Pakistan has seen repeated cycles of devastation. Yet, we remain in a loop of negligence, political point-scoring and short-term fixes.
Much is made of civic responsibility in times of disaster, and rightly. Citizens must be prepared to act in the interest of their communities. But civic duty follows the state’s responsibility to lead, educate and communicate clearly with the public. It does not replace the state’s role. The burden of preparedness must not be shifted to the people without first ensuring that they have been provided with the knowledge, tools and warnings they need to act effectively. It is the duty of the state, and all relevant stakeholders, to issue timely warnings, conduct awareness campaigns and provide practical guidance on how to stay safe.
Across the globe, several developing countries are setting examples. Pakistan would do well to learn from. The Philippines, Vietnam and some Pacific Island nations have integrated disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into national policies and budgets, recognising that disaster preparedness is not a luxury but a necessity. Bangladesh, long vulnerable to cyclones and flooding, has pioneered low-cost community-based early warning systems, disaster-resilient shelters and effective use of mobile phone technology for alerts. The key to these successes? Clear, concise messaging through a variety of communication channels from community radio to mobile networks and messaging tailored to the unique needs and languages of different communities.
Such practices must become the norm in Pakistan. It is not enough for disaster communication to be issued through an official circular or press release posted on a government website. Messaging needs to be proactive, multilingual and layered; broadcast via radio, television, SMS alerts, community announcements, mosque loudspeakers and social media platforms. Also, it must be part of an ongoing dialogue, not one-off notices when disaster strikes.
Of course, if we listen to those in power, the problem somehow always lies with the people; too uneducated, too unaware, too stubborn to heed warnings. No amount of intellectualising can hide the fact that when the government is serious about implementing a policy, it does so swiftly and decisively, overcoming far greater challenges. The difference here is simple: disaster preparedness and protecting vulnerable lives have never been treated as priorities, only as talking points once tragedy strikes.
The conversation around climate change and its consequences in Pakistan, and globally has largely become a class debate. While the impacts disproportionately affect the poor and the marginalised, the public discourse and policy action have often been shaped by elites more concerned with optics than outcomes. In truth, as Naomi Klein observes, the rich have largely given up on saving this planet, retreating instead behind walls of privilege, while the majority are left to bear the brunt of climate chaos. International forums and climate conferences that were meant to galvanise global action have too often become platforms for lip service, with little tangible progress.
This reality demands that the focus shift to indigenous solutions, drawing from both our own communities and global indigenous movements that are leading the fight to protect ecosystems and vulnerable populations. We must look to regenerative agriculture, forest restoration, renewable energy adoption and community-led disaster planning as the way forward.
The Swat tragedy should be a wake-up call. Let it not be reduced to another line item in procurement files or a fleeting media headline. It must drive a shift in mindset from reactive to proactive, from rhetoric to action. As monsoon rains continue across the country, there is still time to make meaningful interventions that could save lives. But this requires political will, sustained investment, and above all, a commitment to transparent, strategic communication that places people’s safety above all else.
We can no longer afford business as usual. The stakes are far too high.
The writer is a communications, public relations and sustainability professional. Her X handle is FatimaArif