s dark clouds gathered over the sky, Shakeela hurried to place every empty bucket, cooking pot and plastic basin beneath the leaking roof of her two-room mud house. The first drops of rain brought a brief sense of relief after the scorching heat of July. But within minutes, the rain turned into a nightmare. Water seeped through cracks in the roof, soaking the beds, her children’s school bags and the wheat flour she had stored for the month.

For Shakeela, a widow raising four children in Swabi district, rain does not represent the pleasant fragrance of wet earth or the promise of green fields. For her, monsoons mean sleepless nights, constant fear and the risk of losing the only shelter she is left with after her husband’s death.

“I pray that the rain stops before the roof collapses,” she says. “I cannot rebuild this house. If it falls, I have nowhere to take my children to.”

Shakeela’s story is not unique. It is repeated every year across countless villages and urban settlements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. For thousands of vulnerable families, monsoon rains are no longer just a blessing. Instead, they have become an annual disaster that exposes weak housing, poor infrastructure and a disaster management system that often responds after the tragedy has occurred.

According to the latest monsoon situation report by the National Disaster Management Authority, Pakistan has recorded 38 deaths since the start of the monsoon season in late June, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounting for 23 of those fatalities. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority has warned of possible flash floods and landslides in Chitral, Upper and Lower Dir, Swat, Shangla, Battagram, Mansehra, Upper Kohistan and Lower Kohistan.

Environmental degradation continues to increase the impact of every storm. Forests that once absorbed rainwater and slowed down runoff have been cleared in many areas. Rivers and streams have narrowed because of encroachments. Rapid urbanisation has replaced open land with concrete roads and buildings, preventing rainwater from naturally soaking into the ground. As a result, even moderate rainfall can cause urban flooding.

The risks are growing every year as climate change brings more frequent and intense rainfall events. Experts argue that emergency response alone cannot solve the problem and that investing in disaster risk reduction is far more effective than repeatedly paying for recovery after disasters strike.

Dr Mehreen Inayat, an environmental expert from Rawalakot, argues that short term emergency responses such as distributing food, tents and financial aid only deal with flood emergencies on a temporary basis rather than resolving the systematic crises the province is facing for more than a decade.

“Without long term structural changes, shifting investment from post disaster management to pre disaster preparedness the monsoon crises will hit the province every year by causing human and infrastructural loss,” she says.

Strengthening homes, restoring forests, improving drainage systems, enforcing building regulations and relocating settlements from high-risk areas cost far less than rebuilding communities after every monsoon.

According to the PDMA, during May and June, monsoon-related incidents claimed 55 lives in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. More than 210 people were injured and 168 houses and two schools were damaged.

These figures tell only a part of the story.

The main challenge is not that heavy rains occur. The real challenge is that some communities suffer the same way every year, even as promises for protection and rehabilitation are made each year.

“For four days now, my grocery shop has remained closed because the entire market is flooded with rainwater,” says Zahoor Ahmad, a shopkeeper from Zaida village in Swabi. “Rain stopped two days ago but there is still water on the roads.”

“Every monsoon we face the same problem. If we cannot run our shops, we have no way to earn a living for our families.”

His story reflects the struggles of thousands of small business owners across the province whose livelihoods depend on functioning roads and drainage systems.

The experience of 2025 is a painful reminder. According to official figures, 650 people lost their lives, 446 were injured and more than 3,800 houses were damaged across Pakistan. Thousands of poor families exhausted their savings trying to rebuild houses destroyed by the floods. Many are still recovering from those losses while bracing for another monsoon.

Before monsoons arrive each year, the NDMA prepares a national contingency plan to reduce the impact of floods and heavy rainfall. The plan brings together federal, provincial and district authorities to improve coordination. It focuses on early warning systems, disaster preparedness, rescue operations, relief supplies and public awareness.

Musadik Malik, the federal minister for climate change, recently stated that Pakistan is among the ten countries most vulnerable to climate change despite contributing very little to global greenhouse gas emissions. He noted that climate-related disasters have already claimed more than 6,000 lives in recent years and stressed the need for greater international support.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has said that Pakistan is now in a stronger financial position to respond to emergencies than it was during the devastating floods of 2022. According to him, the government has sufficient resources to carry out rescue and relief operations in case of a disaster.

Pakistan’s disaster management system has a three-tier response mechanism. The first response comes from the DDMAs, Rescue 1122 and local volunteers, who are responsible for reaching affected communities and carrying out rescue operations. If the emergency exceeds district capacity, the PDMA provides additional rescue teams, relief supplies and technical support. In large-scale disasters that overwhelm provincial resources, the NDMA coordinates the national response, mobilises resources from across the country; when necessary, it also arranges military support, including helicopters for rescue and relief operations.

According to the PDMA, preparations for the monsoon season have been initiated. District administrations in vulnerable and hilly districts have been directed to remain on high alert. Emergency control rooms have been activated in Swat, Shangla, Buner, Torghar, Mansehra, Chitral and Abbottabad.

The PDMA and the NDMA have been issuing regular weather alerts and flood warnings. Communities living near rivers and hill streams are being updated regularly so that they can evacuate if need be. Rescue 1122 teams, ambulances, rescue boats and emergency equipment have been deployed in high-risk districts. Food, tents, blankets, medicines and other relief supplies have also been positioned at strategic locations to ensure quick distribution during emergencies.

Special monitoring is under way in districts vulnerable to flash floods, river flooding, landslides, urban flooding and GLOFs. The NDMA and the provincial government have held coordination meetings to review district-level preparedness and strengthen cooperation among all concerned departments.

Public awareness campaigns are also being carried out. Citizens have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel during heavy rainfall. Tourists have been warned to stay away from rivers, streams and landslide-prone areas during adverse weather conditions.

Experts say that preparedness must go beyond emergency response. Climate resilience requires stronger local governments, better urban planning, improved drainage systems, safer housing, environmental protection and strict enforcement of building regulations.

The writer is a freelance journalist.