Urban Flood Management in Islamabad

On July 9, 2024, I attended the workshop Urban Floods: Implications for Resilience, jointly organized by SDPI and Pak-German Climate & Energy Partnership in Islamabad. Key takeaways from the event were the stark situation of climate change vulnerability and its impact on urban flooding.

Islamabad is in danger, not only because forecasts point to an approaching heavy monsoon, but the city is also already grappling with disastrous urban flooding, made worse by rapid and unplanned urbanisation.

Since the turbulent ‘cloud storm’ of 2021 that drowned the capital, I have been relentlessly advising government authorities to take measures to alleviate the urgent problem of urban flooding. It is a fact that climate change is the most urgent global situation of our time that needs to be addressed urgently.

During the seminar we delved deep into the causes, dynamics and forecasting of urban flooding to mitigate the high risk of climate change. The workshop emphasized the need for integrated, innovative and community-engaged approaches to increase urban resilience.

The urban population is predicted to rise to 80% by 2050. Rapid unregulated urbanisation, deforestation and illegal encroachments are shrinking green spaces and increasing ‘vulnerability to climate change’. The capital can now be called a ‘heat island’.

However, not only is there a lack of available data, but there is also little implementation. Government and donors need to put resources into data collection and implementation. Better technology (LEAP, GIS, evacuation spaces and floor hazard maps) should be used to simulate floods and avoid them in real time, especially in the hotspots. Early warning mechanisms will be a game-changer in preventing losses.

The National Adaptation Plan needs to be renewed through risk communication. Most importantly, socio-economic pathways need to be explored to correct vulnerabilities – economic, social, institutional, psychological and attitudinal. We need to adopt a bottom-up approach to better understand and integrate communities. Risk perception needs to be corrected through education and community-based programmes.

Instead of falling into the blame game, it is crucial to establish accountability. Horizontal and vertical linkages between institutions and sectors are a major obstacle to policy implementation.

It is the task of government agencies and media to raise public awareness. Pakistan needs to focus on innovation and new approaches such as circular economy. I am confident that the insights gained from the workshop have reinforced the urgency of proactive measures to mitigate the impacts of climate change on urban areas in Pakistan and with the policy recommendations made, we will be able to develop a policy.

Soha Nisar
The author is a policy advocate and researcher. She holds a Public Policy Masters degree from King’s College London.