ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Director General Dr Mohammad Afzaal on Tuesday said the early warning and coordinated response played a critical role in minimising risks and protecting lives and livelihoods of the vulnerable communities.

He was speaking at the Climate Application Forum (CAF) for monsoon Season 2026 organised by the PMD in collaboration with the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES).

Dr Mohammad Afzaal provided a comprehensive overview of the forthcoming season and its anticipated impacts across Pakistan.

He further underscored the effectiveness of PMD’s Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) Early Warning System, which successfully predicted a GLOF event on June 5 at Hispar Glacier and facilitated the timely issuance of warnings to local administration and community, tourists, and relevant stakeholders.

It will also contribute to improving preparedness and resilience against monsoon-related hazards through enhanced coordination and evidence-based planning.

The forum brought together representatives from federal and provincial government agencies, national and provincial disaster management authorities, irrigation and agriculture departments, Federal Flood Commission (FFC), scientific organisations, development partners, NGOs/INGOs, and academia to review lessons learned from monsoon 2025 and discuss the Summer Monsoon Outlook 2026.

The forum provided a platform for sharing seasonal climate outlooks, discussing potential monsoon-related risks and sectoral implications, and enhancing stakeholders’ understanding of climate information for informed decision-making.

Through technical presentations and interactive discussions, participants deliberated on forecast-based preparedness measures, risk reduction strategies, and inter-agency coordination mechanisms.

The event is expected to strengthen collaboration among stakeholders and promote the effectiveness of climate information for anticipatory actions and disaster risk reduction.

As Pakistan continues to face increasing climate variability and more frequent extreme weather and climate events, particularly during monsoon season, PMD remains committed to providing timely, reliable and actionable weather and climate services to support the protection of lives, livelihoods, infrastructure and sustainable national development.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2026