Pakistan’s biggest cities are drowning not from rivers, but from within. As the 2025 monsoon battered the country, record rainfall in urban areas exposed the growing cost of poor planning, illegal construction, and outdated drainage systems.

Between late June and mid-July 2025, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported 178 deaths and nearly 500 injuries from rain-related incidents nationwide. The twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad were among the hardest hit, recording over 240 millimetres of rain in just 18 hours in July 2025. Streets turned into rivers, basements flooded, and rescue teams scrambled to save trapped residents.

A report by the World Weather Attribution Group found that human-driven climate change likely intensified heavy monsoon rainfall across South Asia this year, making Pakistan’s flooding crisis more severe and more frequent.

*Negligence and Narrow Drains*

Experts say the problem is as much man-made as it is climatic.

“Urban flooding is less about nature and more about negligence,” says Dr. Farah Naz, urban planning specialist at NUST. “Our cities have lost their natural drainage channels. What used to be open water paths are now covered with concrete.”

In Punjab alone, a Provincial Disaster Management Authority survey found over 800 illegal structures built on storm-water drains and nullahs. These encroachments block natural flows and divert water into residential colonies.

Lahore once called the City of Gardens now has less than 5 percent green cover, drastically reducing natural absorption. Islamabad’s housing societies, too, dump stormwater into decades-old channels never designed for such pressure.

*A System Built for the Past*

Pakistan’s drainage networks were developed in the 1970s and 80s for rainfall intensities that no longer match the climate reality.

A WASA Rawalpindi engineer told that the system can only handle 30 mm of rain per hour. “When it exceeds 80 mm, the whole city floods. This July’s 240 mm was simply beyond capacity,” he said.

Across major cities, 40 to 50 percent of sewerage lines remain choked or undersized. The result is predictable: overflowing drains, collapsing underpasses, and days of power outages.

*When Streets Become Deadly*

Every monsoon season brings preventable tragedy. Electrocutions, wall collapses, and traffic accidents kill dozens annually. After the July floods, several deaths in Rawalpindi were linked to exposed electric wires and submerged vehicles.

The aftermath also brings a health crisis. Stagnant water becomes a breeding ground for dengue and gastroenteritis, while contaminated drinking supplies worsen outbreaks. Businesses lose billions as markets close, and daily wage workers are hit hardest.

*Lahore and Rawalpindi: Repeat Victims*

In Rawalpindi, the Nullah Lai overflowed again in July 2025, forcing hundreds of families to evacuate. Floodwater rose nearly 20 feet in some areas.

In Lahore, heavy monsoon showers paralysed traffic for hours despite pre-season cleaning drives. “Every year it’s the same,” says Shazia Malik, a Johar Town resident. “We clean drains before Eid, but once the rains come, everything overflows again.”

Urban experts estimate waterlogging and drainage failures cost Lahore about Rs 35 billion annually, through infrastructure damage and economic disruption.

*What Needs to Change*

Experts agree that Pakistan can still reverse its urban flood crisis but only with urgent reform.

1) Upgrade Drainage Infrastructure: Modernise storm-water networks and separate them from sewage lines to prevent contamination.

2) Remove Encroachments: Clear illegal structures on water channels and enforce building codes in flood-prone areas.

3) Restore Wetlands: Reclaim natural catchment zones and promote green buffers, rooftop gardens, and permeable pavements.

4) Strengthen Early Warnings: Expand NDMA’s Impact-Based Forecasting to all major cities with real-time mobile alerts.

5) Raise Public Awareness: Simple actions avoiding flooded underpasses, disconnecting power, and knowing safe routes can save lives.

*Policy and the Bigger Picture*

While Pakistan’s National Climate Change Policy acknowledges urban flooding as a key risk, experts warn that implementation remains weak. A national Urban Flood Resilience Plan, backed by provincial coordination and budget support, is still missing.

“Climate change is a stress multiplier,” says environmental journalist Zofeen T. Ebrahim. “We can’t stop the rain but we can stop building in its path.”

Pakistan ranks among the top 10 most climate-vulnerable nations. If current trends persist, urban flooding could soon become the country’s most expensive and recurring climate disaster.

*Conclusion*

Pakistan’s urban flooding is no longer a seasonal nuisance it’s a climate emergency amplified by decades of poor planning. The July 2025 downpour in Rawalpindi and Islamabad was a warning shot: the storms are getting stronger, and the cities weaker.

To survive the monsoons ahead, Pakistan must learn to coexist with water or continue drowning in denial.