Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif says work is underway to formulate an effective policy to deal with the effects of climate change and monsoons
Bureau Report/DNA
LAHORE, AUG 29 /DNA/ – The recent floods that have devastated large parts of Pakistan are increasingly being seen not as a natural calamity, but as a man-made disaster, the result of decades of mismanagement, encroachments, and negligence. While torrential rains have undeniably triggered the crisis, experts argue that the scale of destruction is primarily due to human mistakes — with rivers, waterways, and natural drainage channels recklessly occupied by illegal housing schemes, commercial plazas, and even hotels.
In almost every flood-hit district, one finds the same pattern: water bodies narrowed by construction, riverbanks eaten away by unplanned development, and natural floodplains converted into residential colonies. These man-made obstructions have turned ordinary monsoon rains into large-scale destruction, inundating villages and displacing thousands.
Yet, the public discourse is disturbingly selective. Authorities and commentators often blame the poor for building mud houses along riverbeds or low-lying areas. Such narratives, analysts say, ignore the bigger culprits: powerful developers, influential housing societies, and businesses that have systematically encroached on land meant for water flow.
“Whenever floods come, the poor are scapegoated,” says an urban planning expert in Lahore. “But no one dares to touch the big societies that have blocked drainage channels or the luxury hotels built right along riverbanks. These are the real reasons water has nowhere to go.”
A striking example is seen in northern areas where rivers are flanked by restaurants and guest houses. In Punjab and Sindh, several private housing schemes are reported to have blocked natural stormwater drains. Despite repeated warnings from environmentalists and civil engineers, regulators turned a blind eye, allegedly under political or financial pressure.
Meanwhile, On the orders of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, work is underway to formulate an effective policy to deal with the effects of climate change and monsoons.
The working paper for this policy will be shared with all provincial governments so that a joint action plan can be developed.
The Prime Minister has decided to convene a high-level meeting as soon as the current emergency situation is resolved. The chief ministers of all four provinces and the heads of other relevant institutions will also participate in this meeting. The Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan will also be invited to the meeting.
A strategy is being developed for the construction of water reservoirs and better water management in all four provinces, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The Prime Minister said that water reservoirs would be constructed in consultation and in complete harmony with all provinces.
Climate change is a reality, and its effective preparation can prevent the damages caused by natural disasters, said the Prime Minister.
The four provinces, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and the federation must work together to protect people from the harmful effects of climate change.
This is a national issue on which everyone has to work together, the Prime Minister added.
