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The 2025 floods that have ravaged most parts of Pakistan from Gilgit Baltistan to Islamabad, Lahore to Muzaffargarh and down the Indus to Sindh, have brought swollen rivers and cloudbursts submerging thousands of villages and displacing millions. Nationwide, since June, the death toll has climbed into hundreds.
These are not just statistics — they are families on rooftops, elderly people ferried through brown waters and children sleeping in roadside camps under brutal conditions.
Amid the chaos stand ordinary citizens — your daily labourers, students, farmers and professionals, many of whom have performed acts of heroism for humanity. From volunteers in small boats and tractor trolleys relaying people from inundated hamlets to higher ground to shepherd Wasiyat Khan’s phone call that helped save nearly 300 lives from a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF). These are sober reminders that heroism often looks like unpaid, unglamorous, life-risking work. Yet these reminders show a consistent phenomenon in disaster response: when institutions are stretched, communities step forward.
So what can ordinary people do in such crises? How can their role support building resilient communities? Beyond financial donations, one can also support relief efforts by donating various items.
The first priority should be dry rations and water. This includes staples like rice, pulses, flour, biscuits, iodised salt, tea, dates, noodles, dried or powder milk, and nfant formula. If you are donating through an organisation, call ahead to coordinate and make a standardised ration pack that can last for a family of 5 for a few days.
Beyond financial donations, you can support relief efforts by donating various items. The first priority should be dry rations and water. This includes staples like rice, pulses, flour, biscuits, iodised salt, tea, dates, noodles, dried or powder milk as well as infant formula.
Water availability becomes a massive problem for communities displaced due to floods. Basic water purification supplies like purification tablets or filters, ORS sachets, water containers and hygiene kits can be of great help to displaced communities. Sanitary items for women are also an important requirement. These can be discreetly made part of hygiene kits.
Shelter items are another priority: tarpaulins and plastic sheets are being used for roofing and protection from the elements. If you can donate tents, it is even better. Standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, so mosquito nets are also in demand.
Many of the disaster relief camps lack power, so solar-powered lights and phone chargers and power banks can help displaced communities. Handheld or battery-powered fans and coolers can also be helpful for families camping in searing temperatures.
If you wish to donate medicines, make sure to check with a medical camp in the area first. Only provide unexpired, requested medicines, within shelf life, labelled in English and/ or Urdu. The WHO’s Guidelines for Medicine Donations provides a helpful checklist if you want to donate medicines. Note that unsolicited or expired medicines can create safety risks instead of reducing them; if in doubt, consult an organisation conducting healthcare work in the affected areas.
Clothes and shoes can also be donated. Many displaced families, in a rush to evacuate, were unable to pack their clothes or blankets. Sort the clothes for men and women separately, and pack them in plastic to ensure they remain dry and usable.
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There is no doubt that volunteering is a noble cause, but self-deploying to a location of your choice can strain responders working day and night. Volunteer for any of the reputable organisations on the ground and accept the assigned role. Community-based response works best when local groups work systematically.
If you are in a safe area, consider hosting displaced families until they can get back on their feet. You can also offer transport for supplies or hospital visits. If you’re tech-savvy, join crisis-mapping efforts (for example, through Open Street Map humanitarian tasks) and updated basic data on blocked roads, safe water points and camp capacities for responders. A small digital contribution can redirect trucks and boats efficiently.
Disasters expose our fractures, but they also reveal our social capital. Repeated flooding in the Punjab in 2010, 2014, 2022, and now 2025 is proof that disaster risk is rising. Climate change is making glaciers melt faster, rains more intense, river basins more volatile. Without citizen action linked to institutional support, many communities will remain exposed to repeated loss. Even modest actions — a phone call warning of flood risk, donating a few bottles of clean drinking water, donating hygiene supplies or supporting one of the many non-government organisations through donations — can save lives today and lay foundations for resilient futures.
Ahmed Ahsan is a development sector professional with nearly a decade of experience in communications and reporting. He has supported the implementation of The World Bank’s Disaster and Climate Resilience Improvement Project and ADB’s Flood Emergency Reconstruction and Resilience Project in Pakistan