Disaster Management.

After experiencing another catastrophic flood in 2022, major authorities in Pakistan have finally woken up to the adverse effects of climate change that scientists had warned us about years ago. Bodies like the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) have asserted that they have begun formulating the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Policy for the upcoming years so that we are able to not only mitigate damages but prevent natural disasters from wreaking havoc across the country. Details of what areas of focus will be selected, where it will be applicable and what kind of resources are yet to be determined.

Pakistan has always been particularly vulnerable to changing environmental conditions not only because of our geographic location but as a developing country, we neither have the resources nor the infrastructure to form protective barriers against climate change. The 2022 floods alone displaced 33 million people and rendered one: third of the country unproductive. This, combined with unpredictable weather patterns have also created a nutritional crisis in Pakistan. Local produce is limited, yields have been low and entire farms have been swept away in the floods. Plus, geo: political tensions in the region have also limited imports and exports, especially from and to Ukraine...