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loods are not new to Pakistan. Since the catastrophic deluge of 2010 that inundated a fifth of the nation to the record monsoon flood of 2022 that displaced 33 million people, the country has witnessed time and again how rising water levels ruin lives, infrastructure and the economy. This time flood along the Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab rivers has displaced hundreds of thousands. A large number of families have been stranded, standing crops have been swept away and many an embankment has been breached to preserve urban areas.
Pakistan’s evident vulnerability is structural. There are bad embankments, clogged streams, flooded urban drains, inadequate forecasting and watershed deforestation. Every flood requires tens of billions of dollars in relief and rebuilding, the resources that could otherwise be used in development. According to Asian Development Bank, Pakistan suffered damage exceeding $30 billion (Rs 8.5 trillion) during 2022 floods alone. Government resources and actions alone are therefore insufficient to deal with the challenge.
A viable solution lies in public-private partnership (PPP), a structured collaboration that joins the vision and authority of the state with innovation, capital and efficiency of the private sector. PPP projects can provide a suitable roadmap for flood management for Pakistan.
Why PPPs matter
Floods are a multidimensional hazard. It is a hydrological issue in river basins, urban in rapidly expanding cities, financial when the cost of recovery drives out development expenditure and political as people judge leadership based on how fast water recedes or aid arrives.
Private sector has untapped potential in all these areas. Construction giants like Descon Engineering, agribusiness firms like Engro and Fauji Fertliser, insurance companies like Jubilee Life and TPL Insurance, and telecom players like Jazz, Telenor and Ufone possess equipment, networks and capabilities to support resilience in their domains. Systematically harnessing these skills and capabilities through PPP can transform disaster response into disaster preparedness.
Infrastructure:
Embankment and barrage rehabilitation: Flood protection/management infrastructure is the weakest point in Pakistan. Embankments along much of the Indus River are weak and poorly maintained. However, improvement models are available. The Punjab Barrages Improvement Project, with support of the World Bank rehabilitated Jinnah and Taunsa Barrages partnering with a private contractor, protecting irrigation flows and regulating floods. The PPP model can be replicated in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Urban drainage and wastewater management: Lahore and Karachi are investing in wastewater treatment plants and trunk sewers through PPPs, reclaiming capacity in drainage networks and reducing water-logging. Projects like Lahore’s Water and Wastewater Management Project and Karachi’s West Karachi Recycled Water Plant show how PPPs can turn wastewater into resilience.
Storage dams: Large reservoirs, including already under construction Diamer-Bhasha Dam and Mohmand Dam, will afford flood cushioning in addition to irrigation and hydropower. Small and medium dams are equally important in KP, Balochistan and river catchments in the Punjab. A network of 100 small dams can revolutionise the watershed management. Such a network is a natural PPP candidate. Private contractors can construct and operate these under a performance-based arrangement with government.
With public private partnerships, dams and drains can be up to date, forecasts more accurate, insurance universal, forests revived and communities stronger. There will still be flooding but the losses can be reduced.
Forecasting and smart systems
Forecasting and sensors: The Sindh Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Project is enhancing forecasting systems. Private IT companies can incorporate AI based modeling, GIS mapping and IoT sensors throughout the Indus basin to supply real time river information.
Telecom-based warning: NDMA’s recent tie-up with Jazz to implement geo-fenced SMS flood warning has already covered millions. Scaling up to national multi-language system, with service level agreements, can save tens of thousands of lives.
Smart metering: PPPs in water metering and leakage detection are being tested in Lahore. Their deployment across the country can enhance management over strained systems during floods.
Insurance
Floods destroy infrastructure as well as livelihoods. PPPs can expand micro-insurance programmes for farmers and traders that may be subsidised by government and re-insured by international companies. Protecting a million rural households could cost a fraction of post-disaster relief.
At sovereign level, catastrophe bonds and parametric insurance can provide instant liquidity when river levels or rainfall level cross threshold. Such instruments, standard in countries like Mexico and Caribbean, are equally suited to Pakistan’s recurring disasters.
Emergency response and rehabilitation
Floods cannot always be avoided, but relief can be expedited. Logistics companies like TCS, Leopards and DHL can ensure timely delivery of food and drugs under PPP arrangements. Utility companies such as K-electric and Hubco can construct solar-powered evacuation centres with safe water and emergency kits as permanent disaster ready capacity.
Community preparedness and ecosystem solutions
Training and awareness: Prepared communities are the final line of defence. PPPs can finance evacuation exercises, school safety drills and national awareness drives. Corporate entities such as HBL and Lucky Cement have already tested such drives; expanding them into an organised five-year campaigns to save thousands of lives.
Forestation and watershed management: Catchment deforestation worsens runoff and erosion, stimulating flash flooding. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Billion Tree Tsunami illustrated the ecological and flood-control benefits of large-scale plantation. Private companies and communities can be mobilised for watershed afforestation and mangrove rehabilitation through PPPs, lowering runoff peaks and shielding coastal areas.
Financing the roadmap
A mix of PPP models can fund the above mentioned roadmap:
BOT schemes for dams, wastewater plants and pumping stations.
Viability Gap Funding can be used for embankments and drainage schemes.
Service Contracting for early-warning alerts and metering.
Risk Transfer PPPs through CAT bonds and insurance.
Getting the contract right
Success of the suggested roadmap depends upon:
Clear risk and responsibility sharing mechanism between the public and private partners.
Flood-linked performance metrics.
Transparent funding linked to outcomes.
Availability of open data dashboards for accountability.
Integration of local workforce to build skills and sustain operation and management.
Flood vulnerability is a countrywide challenge but it does not have to be an annual catastrophe. PPPs are capable of achieving early success towards dry roads, quicker warnings, working dams and drains and community readiness. They can also reduce costs through transferring calamitous risk to capital markets and maintaining assets well beyond inauguration.
The choice before Pakistan is very clear. Floods have to be recognised either as seasonal emergencies or as a structural challenge demanding a structural solution. With PPP, dams and drains can be up to date, forecasting more accurate, insurance universal, forests revived and communities stronger. There will still be floods but the losses can be reduced.
The writer, an independent consultant on sustainable public private partnership projects, holds a PhD degree in the subject. He can be reached via waseemalitipugmail.com.