ISLAMABAD: The federal government has initiated work on a National Resilience Plan for 2025–26 to strengthen the country’s ability to withstand the next monsoon season and curb the devastation caused by natural disasters.
At a meeting in Islamabad on Thursday, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr Musadik Malik and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik agreed on a strategy to improve disaster preparedness, emergency response, and recovery systems.
“The National Resilience Plan must be outcome-focused, with clear measures to reduce losses in human lives, infrastructure, agriculture, and livestock,” Dr Malik said, adding that the effort must deliver tangible benefits to communities most at risk.
The NDMA chairman underlined the need to map vulnerable areas and design responses to local conditions. “Floods, glacial lake outburst floods, cloudbursts, and landslides all demand tailored strategies. Preparing for such specific risks is vital if we are to build resilience,” Lt Gen Malik observed.
Pakistan has suffered repeated shocks from extreme weather, most dramatically during the 2022 floods, which displaced millions and inflicted billions in damages. Officials say the new plan is intended to avoid a repeat by identifying high-risk regions, integrating scattered response systems, and ensuring relief efforts are faster and more coordinated.
Dr Malik admitted that current mechanisms are fragmented and need restructuring. “We require a single, streamlined framework that can respond quickly, effectively, and in a coordinated way,” he said, pledging closer collaboration between the government, the NDMA, and other stakeholders.
