Pakistan’s catastrophic floods of 2022 submerged nearly a third of the country, washing away homes, livelihoods and a fragile sense of security.
Entire districts in Sindh and Balochistan disappeared under torrential waters, leaving devastation on a scale that defied comprehension. More than 12.3 million people were affected and over 2.1 million homes were destroyed or severely damaged. The economic losses surpassed $15 billion, according to post-disaster assessments. For millions of rural families, those floods were not just an environmental calamity; they were a brutal reminder that housing in Pakistan is dangerously unprepared for the accelerating realities of climate change.
Three years later, Pakistan is still rebuilding, and yet nature has offered another sobering reminder. The monsoon rains of 2025, although less devastating than the 2022 disaster, have already displaced nearly 250,000 people, primarily in Sindh and southern Punjab. Flash floods caused by cloudbursts and over-saturated riverbanks damaged roads, washed away standing crops and destroyed thousands of temporary shelters that had been put up in the aftermath of earlier floods. Several newly rebuilt structures collapsed because they were not built to withstand recurrent climate shocks.
While this year’s monsoon does not rival the catastrophe of 2022, it has exposed a hard truth: Pakistan’s resilience strategy remains dangerously inadequate. Incremental fixes won’t suffice. Without systemic reform, every monsoon will continue to put millions of lives and billions in assets at risk.
The core issue is not merely a shortage of homes but a resilience deficit. Rural communities still rely on traditional mud and thatch construction because it is cheap, but these homes are no match for torrential rain and flooding. A typical rural house costs around Rs300,000 (about $1,000), yet it collapses under sustained rains, forcing families back into displacement and dependency on relief aid. In most cases, recovery programmes provide short-term solutions, such as tents or concrete homes, which are prohibitively expensive and slow to scale. What Pakistan urgently needs is a national framework for low-cost, climate-resilient housing that can withstand repeated shocks without pushing families into poverty traps.
International partners have stepped in, but their efforts, while commendable, remain fragmented. The World Bank’s Sindh Flood Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project allocated an initial $500 million, later increasing the amount by $450 million for additional financing. This programme aims to build 410,000 multi-hazard-resistant homes by 2027 and has trained thousands of masons in resilient construction techniques.
Similarly, the Asian Development Bank committed $400 million for housing reconstruction in Sindh, with integrated provisions for water, sanitation and renewable energy in rural settlements. While these interventions represent progress, they still cover only a fraction of Pakistan’s overall housing need, leaving millions vulnerable.
One initiative, however, has emerged as a transformative model: the Sindh People’s Housing for Flood Affectees (SPHF). Launched in early 2023 by the Government of Sindh, SPHF is not only Pakistan’s largest housing reconstruction project but one of the largest globally. Backed by $2 billion in combined funding from the World Bank, ADB, Islamic Development Bank and the provincial government, the SPHF aims to build 2.1 million climate-resilient homes, reaching nearly 15 million people, a population larger than 154 countries.
Progress has been significant. Over 1.16 million bank accounts have been opened for direct beneficiary transfers, eliminating middlemen and ensuring transparency. So far, 400,000 homes have been completed, and 600,000 are at the plinth stage, with SPHF disbursing Rs215 billion in grants. The program is expected to create one million jobs, stimulating rural economies battered by disaster. Its social architecture is groundbreaking: all land titles are issued in women’s names, giving nearly 800,000 women legal ownership of property for the first time. More than 95 per cent of these women had never entered a bank before the SPHF, yet today they manage construction budgets, hire labour and oversee procurement. This is empowerment with tangible outcomes.
The SPHF has also deployed technology to ensure accountability. A real-time Management Information System (MIS) tracks every phase of housing progress, while GIS mapping and drone surveys create digital blueprints for settlements. Payments are routed directly to beneficiaries, reducing corruption risks. These tech-driven solutions have earned the SPHF recognition as a global model for climate-resilient recovery.
Yet the 2025 monsoon has revealed gaps that cannot be ignored. Inflation has driven up construction costs by 50 per cent, creating an affordability gap that forces families to borrow money or sell assets to complete homes. Even with the SPHF’s grants, some households require an additional Rs100,000–150,000, a significant burden for low-income families.
Meanwhile, bureaucratic bottlenecks and delays in donor disbursements continue to slow timelines. Sustainability remains a blind spot: renewable energy systems, rainwater harvesting, and low-carbon building materials are not yet standard components. Pakistan’s reliance on debt-heavy international loans to finance these programmes also adds long-term fiscal pressure to an economy already under severe strain.
The SPHF’s achievements are undeniable: its scale, gender empowerment, job creation and governance transparency have set new benchmarks. But its vulnerabilities, rising costs, uneven quality standards, institutional delays, and unsustainable financing must be addressed if the programme is to meet its promise. Three priorities stand out. First, close the affordability gap by introducing tiered grant models for the most vulnerable households and partnering with microfinance institutions to offer zero-interest loans. Second, accelerate delivery through district-level fast-track cells and performance-linked incentives for implementing partners. Third, institutionalise climate resilience by adopting a national housing code that enforces standards for disaster-resistant design.
Innovation must complement policy. Pakistan should integrate bamboo-earth shelters, championed by architect Yasmeen Lari, and modular plastic housing developed by social enterprises like Gul Bahao. These solutions are not only more cost-effective but also have a minimal carbon footprint. Embedding solar energy kits and water harvesting systems into housing clusters can create self-sustaining communities while reducing future vulnerability. Financing models must evolve, replacing loans with climate grants, carbon credit monetisation and partnerships with global climate funds.
The urgency cannot be overstated. The 2025 monsoon is proof that climate shocks will not wait for bureaucratic timelines. Every delay deepens vulnerability, erodes trust and perpetuates poverty. Conversely, every resilient home built today is an investment in security, dignity, and economic revival.
The SPHF has shown what is possible when political will, global partnerships, and community engagement converge. The challenge now is to scale this model nationally, refine its weaknesses and embed climate resilience into the core of Pakistan’s housing policy. Building back the old way is no longer an option. The question is not whether the waters will rise again; they will. The real question is whether Pakistan will rise with them.
The writer is a public policy expert and leads the Country Partner Institute of the World Economic Forum in Pakistan. He tweets/posts @amirjahangir and can be reached at: aj@mishal.com.pk
