Pakistan's 2025 Floods Expose Gaps in Climate Resilience Efforts

In October 2025, the Planning Commission of Pakistan has released a Preliminary Assessment of Flood Damages, providing the first official estimate of the destruction caused by this year's devastating floods. This rapid assessment is intended to serve as the foundation for the upcoming Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) 2025, following the precedent set by the comprehensive PDNA 2022 that guided Pakistan's Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework (4RF).

However, the 2025 preliminary assessment lacks a robust scientific methodology, consisting of an ad hoc compilation of datasets from various government departments. The resulting data is neither complete nor verifiable, with critical gaps such as the absence of district-level severity rankings and gender-disaggregated information. This fragmented, top-down approach fails to provide the granular data and methodological coherence needed for effective recovery planning.

Furthermore, the assessment makes only fleeting references to Pakistan's vulnerability to climate change and its international commitments, without any meaningful integration of adaptation or mitigation strategies. It does not mention the findings and recommendations of the 2022 PDNA or the 4RF, raising concerns about whether the lessons learned from the previous floods have been applied.

The 2022 PDNA had reframed Pakistan's disaster vulnerability, positioning recovery as an existential imperative to embed climate resilience into national development planning through nature-based adaptation. However, the 2025 assessment suggests that these climate-focused recommendations were not adequately implemented, as evidenced by the persistent re-destruction of infrastructure and the loss of over 8,400 houses, indicating a failure to operationalize 'build back better' principles.

The gap between the 2022 climate ambitions and the 2025 reality exposes fundamental implementation barriers in Pakistan's disaster response system. Without the necessary institutional reforms, enforcement mechanisms, and political will to prioritize long-term resilience, communities will remain vulnerable to predictable, recurring climate impacts. The 2025 floods have proven that merely acknowledging climate drivers is not enough; effective policy implementation is crucial to translate analysis into action and protect Pakistan's people and infrastructure from the devastating effects of climate change.