Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday underlined the urgent need to expand Pakistan’s water storage capacity to reduce the devastating impact of flash floods, warning that such disasters are likely to repeat in the years ahead due to climate change.
Presiding over a high-level meeting on the flood situation in Narowal, the premier said boosting water storage was critical and stressed, “Storage capacity is the need of the hour, and without wasting any more time, we should start work in this regard.”
He added that Pakistan must arrange resources domestically to fund dams and reservoirs, emphasizing that key projects like Diamer-Bhasha Dam should not be delayed.
Shehbaz noted that while floods first hit northern regions, they are now wreaking havoc in Punjab’s plains.
He offered condolences to victims’ families and appreciated the coordinated relief efforts of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, NDMA, the Pakistan Army, and civil institutions.
Recalling the 2022 floods in Sindh and Balochistan, he warned that Pakistan, being among the world’s top ten most climate-vulnerable countries, must adopt short-, medium-, and long-term strategies for disaster preparedness.
Maryam Nawaz expressed grief over the loss of lives, crops, and infrastructure, but said no fatalities were caused by negligence.
She praised NDMA, PDMA, police, civil defense, and the army for rescuing more than 50,000 people, ensuring early evacuations, and protecting livestock through timely warnings.
She directed urgent drainage of floodwater from the Gurdwara, ordered activation of field hospitals, 1,000 mobile clinics, and adequate vaccine supplies, especially for women, children, and the elderly.
Around 200 km of roads were reported damaged, for which she ordered temporary connectivity measures and stressed long-term rehabilitation with stronger infrastructure to maximize water storage.
Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal described climate change as a grave but manageable challenge if disaster response gaps are fixed. He pointed out that India faced less damage due to better infrastructure.
Highlighting that village connectivity has been badly hit, he called for bulldozers and heavy machinery to restore access and medical relief.
He also urged agriculture banks to provide soft loans to affected farmers to help them recover and sustain livelihoods.
NDMA Chairman Lt. Gen. Inam Haider briefed the meeting on the overall flood situation in Punjab.