The Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change, chaired by Senator Sherry Rehman, met in Islamabad to review the devastating impact of recent floods and broader climate-related challenges facing Pakistan.
Sherry Rehman criticised the government’s lack of urgency in tackling climate threats, pointing out that only 15 percent of allocated funds have been spent on early warning systems, while 30 percent of the GLOF project budget is being consumed by administrative expenses. She said the UNDP and Ministry of Climate Change’s handling of the GLOF-II site has come under severe criticism.
Rehman announced that public hearings would be held in the affected regions, stressing that these areas are both remote and highly vulnerable. She noted that 24 valleys in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been directly impacted and called for clarity on the total number of sensitive sites and whether all have been mapped. Immediate review of practical measures at 36 identified locations, she added, was essential to avert further disaster.
During the briefing, the Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik revealed that nearly three million people have been affected by the latest floods, with 998 deaths and 1,062 injured reported so far. He said that 290,000 people are still living in tents, highlighting the urgent need for water, electricity, and healthcare facilities in temporary settlements.
Sherry Rehman criticised the government for delaying financial assistance to victims, demanding that immediate support be provided through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) as was done in 2022. “This delay is unacceptable. Instead of debating a mini-budget, the government should mobilise international aid, which is already available, and appeal to the United Nations,” she said.
The committee also called for a plan to transition flood victims from temporary shelters to permanent housing and insisted that aid distribution must be transparent. Rehman stressed that relief camps should meet humanitarian standards.
The NDMA chairman admitted that Pakistan has now become one of the top five countries most affected by climate change. He pointed out that April 2025 was the hottest April in 65 years, with shorter winters, longer summers, and heavier rains. Flash floods this year began in Buner and Gilgit-Baltistan due to rapid glacial melt, with Punjab alone reporting 2.9 million flood-affected people. He noted that while Pakistan shares daily damage data with the Provincial Disaster Management Authorities, India has not shared any water flow data, even though the Sutlej River recorded its highest flows in recent months.
On water safety, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) officials informed the committee that 62 percent of drinking water tested after filtration was found unsafe. They revealed that Rawal Dam has been declared “100 percent unsafe” and that a Supreme Court ruling already directed Punjab’s government to take urgent action regarding sewage contamination in the dam.
Rehman described the findings as “alarming and unacceptable,” noting that the July–August 2025 report showed shocking results. “When surface water is 100 percent unsafe, oxidisation is meaningless,” she said, accusing authorities of concealing the real situation by merging and omitting critical data in their reports.
Senator Waqar added that the absence of an early warning system remains a major cause of recurring disasters. Sherry Rehman stressed that community-based warning systems are the most effective, citing how shepherds in Gilgit-Baltistan recently saved many lives by raising timely alarms about incoming floods.
