Minister, NDMA chief review monsoon preparedness

Islamabad:Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr. Musadik Malik held a high-level meeting here on Tuesday with Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lt. General Imam Haider Malik to review the country’s preparedness for the upcoming monsoon in the context of rising temperatures and potential flood risks.

The chairman NDMA briefed the Minister on the current temperature outlook and flooding projections, highlighting the likelihood of higher-than-usual temperatures this year. Particular attention was given to the potential impacts of elevated temperatures in Pakistan’s northern regions, which may accelerate glacial melt and result in increased flooding in the Indus River basin.

The meeting included an in-depth discussion on the multi-tier early warning system utilised by NDMA, which operates through three phases: seasonal, Advisory, and confirmatory outlooks. This layered approach enables timely identification of risks and effective mobilisation of preventive measures.

Technical briefings were also presented on the meteorological and environmental trigger factors that influence the monsoon in South Asia, such as the land-sea temperature differential, sea surface temperatures, and snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere. Both sides emphasised the importance of data-driven forecasting and inter-agency coordination in managing climate-induced disasters.

In a joint side meeting, localized disaster mitigation strategies were discussed in detail. The Federal Minister reiterated that “climate adaptation is inherently disaster mitigation,” underlining the urgent need for jointly financed initiatives and interlinked project implementation between climate and disaster management agencies.

The two sides also discussed the status of ongoing and incomplete mitigation projects, agreeing to initiate a formal assessment to identify bottlenecks and propose a viable framework for their timely completion.

It was mutually decided that a follow-up coordination meeting will be held, bringing together the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs), the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), and relevant project stakeholders.