The Changing Pattern of Monsoon Rains in Pakistan: A Climate Crisis in the Making
Residents navigate rising floodwaters as intense monsoon rains overwhelm urban infrastructure, highlighting the growing severity of Pakistan’s shifting climate patterns.
Once upon a time, the monsoon season brought happiness to the faces of Pakistani people. It breathed new life into scorched lands, turned the land into lush green, and presented a sign of relief from the sunbaking of summer heat. Farmers rejoiced over abundant harvests in their fields. Children overjoyed the monsoon season by performing dancing and jumping in the pleasant water of rain and entire communities welcomed the refreshing shift in weather. From the dates of Sindh to the rice paddies of Punjab, monsoon was not merely a season—it was a reason for millions people for hope, blessing, and a custom of joy and growth.
But the same monsoon that once caused efflorescence in the production of agriculture has now begun to wreak mayhem on it. Prosperity has been converted into a season of devastation, caused by the increasing unpredictability of climate change. Strange rainfall patterns, extended periods of monsoon, and high volumes of water have fetched tragedy in place of relief. Urban floods and super floods have become more frequent, turning villages and cities into lakes and rivers and further rivers into torrents of destruction. No longer does the monsoon remain a guest—it becomes an uninvited monster.
According to UN OCHA Pakistan, the monsoon has affected 78 million people in Pakistan, including 7.3 million in the province of Sindh, 5.4 million in Punjab, 2.9 million in Baluchistan, and 0.39 million in KP. In more than 33 districts in Pakistan, the monsoon has devastated infrastructure, including roads, homes, hospitals, and schools. Furthermore, the situation became worse in Punjab in June 2025; within 24 hours, there were 63 deaths and 264 injuries. Thereafter, Punjab province declared an emergency in several districts.
The ongoing monsoon season in Pakistan continues to exacerbate the situation due to flash floods. According to a report by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on July 9, 2025, KP remains the worst-affected province, followed by Punjab, Sindh, and Baluchistan. Heavy rainfall in Gilgit Baltistan (GB) has not only caused death among the people but also damaged homes, disconnected roads, devastated agriculture, and disrupted power and water supplies in various areas of GB.
Moreover, Agriculture is the backbone of the people of Pakistan due to the ongoing monsoon from 2024 to 2025, which reduces 60% of production in Punjab and Sindh. The damages to standing crops in Sindh caused by the recent monsoon spell, as shared by Sindh Agriculture Minister Sardar Muhammad Bakhsh Mehr, have resulted in significant losses for farmers, totalling Rs. 86.86 billion. “Crops on 541,351 acres of land have been destroyed; with the cotton crop on 293,580 acres suffering considerable harm, the rice crop on 35,271 acres has been devastated.
Furthermore, the recent monsoon has completely destroyed 53,195 acres of date palm groves, and it has also destroyed 26,382 acres of sugarcane. This destruction has intensified the already existing food insecurity. Malnutrition is a leading cause of death for children in rural areas of the province of Sindh, such as Tharparkar; according to a UNICEF report, 8 out of 10 children die from hunger-related diseases.
However, Pakistan’s global contribution is less than 1% to greenhouse gas emissions despite bearing the brunt of climate change continuously year after year—there is still no national budget allocation specifically for climate adaptation. There is not present any policy regarding monsoon management, and government institutes are unable or underprepared to address annual monsoon-related emergencies. There is also a lack of proactive planning, strong frameworks, and governance, as well as ineffective coordination among disaster response organisations and agencies, which further exposes the country’s vulnerability.
It is time for Pakistan to reclaim the monsoon as a source of prosperity, not jeopardy. Pakistan also developed monsoon-related policies similar to those created during COVID-19, including the introduction of the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC). Pakistan has garnered global praise for its efforts in combating the pandemic disease. Similarly, Pakistan must adopt the national monsoon management policy and develop strong connections with NDMA, the Pakistan meteorological agency, and local governments of the provinces. The policy should encompass early warning systems, evacuation protocols, and post-disaster rehabilitation frameworks.
Furthermore, Pakistan should construct isolated canals to store monsoon water and prevent it from mixing with contaminated sewage water. This will not only preserve water for agriculture but also prevent the waterborne chronic disease in the country. Moreover, in rural areas of the country, the Awareness Campaigns about climate change are crucial, these campaigns will provide guidance to people in these areas who have been suffering from climate-induced effects for many years. Awareness campaigns educate the people regarding climate risk consequences and prepare them for combat against climate strategies. Furthermore, climate-resilient crops is also one of the technology is lacking in Pakistan therefore, Pakistan must to reform agriculture policies to adopt it and provide advanced training to farmers in the field of agriculture sectors.
Pakistan must apportion a strategic climate-resilience budget for monsoon and heatwave response, which can harness during the annually monsoon season from June-September, constructing climate-resilient infrastructure in rural areas of country and further strengthening institutions such as NDMA and the Pakistan Meteorological Department.
Pakistan stands most vulnerable country under Climate Risk Index (CRI) therefor it does not have much time for opulence. Moreover, climate change is no longer a distant threat—it is here, which is reshaping the country’s strategic with the concern of economy, weather patterns, and household of people. The monsoon must not be allowed to remain a predecessor of death and devastation. Adopting the right policies, investments, and decisions from politicians will once again bring a monsoon season, which is not a curse but a blessing.
