SLASHING the budget of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination in the recent budget feels like a step backwards, especially when the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) has warned that 130 glacial lakes in the north are poised to burst. With glaciers vanishing faster than expected, the water that sustains our dams, crops and communities is becoming an increasingly critical matter.

We have already tasted the cost of hesitation. The 2022 floods left behind over $30 billion in losses, stripping our national coffers and forcing us to rebuild instead of progress. Yet, we continue to view climate adaptation as an expense line to be trimmed, not as an essential protection for our future. Add to that the looming El Niño effect, which could bring drier monsoons, prolonged droughts and heatwaves. Without better forecasting mechanism and sturdier infrastructure, the real price will be paid in terms of lives and livelihoods.

If there is one truth that we should have learned by now, it is that prevention is cheaper than repair. Rather than diverting funds from climate resilience to prop up failing state enterprises, the government should invest in early warning systems and adaptive measures. Another disaster of the scale we witnessed earlier would not just strain us; it would really break us.

Ihsanullah Narejo
Gambat

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2026