hen people in Swabi see images of devastating floods in parts of Pakistan and beyond, many are reminded of the floods last year, when many houses, fields and livelihoods were swept away in seconds.

“For many families in Swabi, heavy rain is a reminder of how quickly our lives can be disrupted,” say 17-year-old Ahtisham, a resident of the Malikabad village in Gadoon. “Recently, a few hours of rain turned roads into waterways, damaged houses and destroyed fields.”

For people living in vulnerable areas, clouds no longer bring just rain. They also cause fear.

“When we see clouds in the sky, we don’t feel happy,” says Syed Aftab, who hails from Yar Hussain village in Swabi. “The disaster in 2025 left more than physical destruction. It changed people’s relationship with the weather.”

Before the floods, heavy rain often meant inconvenience. People waited for the rain to stop, worrying about muddy roads, damaged crops and interruptions to daily life. Now, when rain continues for several hours, people in Swabi feel threatened.

In the Dalorai Bala village, residents still remember how quickly the floodwaters swept everything.

“We heard the sound of a thunderstorm. Within seconds, the floodwaters took everything away,” says Azeem Ullah. “There was no time to collect our belongings. We were only trying to get our children and the elderly to safety.”

For farmers, the floods meant a huge risk to their fields, livestock and agricultural equipment—the very source of their livelihoods.

According to a UNOCHA assessment, around 330 acres of agricultural land was damaged in Swabi and 105 cattle were lost. The floods impacted 420 (281 partially damaged and 139 completely destroyed) houses in the district. The district also reported 11 deaths and 20 injuries. More recently, the PDMA records indicate, that 44 houses in Swabi were damaged by the torrential rains.

“Rain is no longer a blessing for us,” says Rasool Jan, who lives in Sarokai village. “When dark clouds gather, we look at the skies and then to our fields. The memories of last year’s flood are still fresh.”

“We fear another loss,” he says, sitting next to his fields. “Water could move through our land, destroy our crops and erase months of hard work within seconds.”

For a farmer, however, this is not a one-time loss. It also means finding money to start farming again

Jan’s biggest concern is what another blow could mean for his family. The harvest pays for food, children’s school and household needs. It also helps farmers repay debts accumulated during the farming season.

“If another flood destroys the crop, how will I start again?”

In Punjpir village, the Badri nullah is a cause for concern during the monsoon.

For most of the year, the nullah is quiet. But when heavy rain falls in the surrounding hills, the water level can rise quickly, turning it into a dangerous flood channel.

Badri nullah originates in the hills of Buner and passes through areas including Punjpir and Manerai. Families living close to the stream know the danger well. When water begins to rise, residents fear for their children, homes and livestock.

“In old days, our children used to come here to bathe. Women would gather on the banks to wash clothes,” says Muhammad Zahir, a resident of Punjpir.

“Back then, the water was so calm that nobody in the village was scared of it.”

But residents say the stream has changed after years of heavy monsoon rains. Floodwaters have created deep craters one cannot easily monitor.

Many people still assume that the water is shallow because that is how they remember it.

Last month, a 19-year-old boy drowned in Badri nullah during a spell of monsoon rain. The incident shocked the local community.

Following the incident, the deputy commissioner of Swabi has restricted activities around Badri nullah during the monsoon season, prohibiting bathing, swimming, fishing, collecting firewood and extracting sand.

Some representatives of the local administration have also visited Punjpir to raise awareness among residents about safety measures and the government’s strategy to deal with the heavy rains.

In August, heavy monsoon rains again caused flooding in parts of Swabi. Yar Hussain was among the badly affected villages.

On the night of August 19, Rescue 1122 teams evacuated more than 300 people, including women, children and elderly residents, to safer areas after heavy rains caused flash flooding. Relief camps were established, while damage assessments began after the rain subsided.

For residents who had already experienced the floods last year, the scenes were painfully familiar. Roofs collapsed, boundary walls fell and muddy water entered streets and courtyards. Some families were left trapped inside their houses until rescuers arrived.

During this year’s monsoon season, National Disaster Management Authority and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority issued early warnings, coordinated rescue operations and provided relief to affected communities.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PDMA activated its 24-hour helpline (1700), sharing district-wise information about rainfall and flood risk. District administrations were also directed to keep boats, food, tents and medical teams ready in vulnerable areas.

This preparation is particularly important in places near streams such as Badri nullah, where water levels can rise quickly.

But officials say emergency response alone is not enough.

Arifullah Awan, the Khyber Pakhwunkhwa’s PDMA director general, says Pakistan, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is on the frontline of climate related disasters. He says disaster data from the last 10 years shows that the province is repeatedly exposed to major hazards.

Awan says Khyber Pakhtunkhwa faces annual, almost regular monsoon disasters, including cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides and GLOFs. He estimates that 15 to 20 percent of the province’s population across 18 districts remains vulnerable to these hazards, particularly in the Malakand and Hazara divisions.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s PDMA has also been working on monsoon preparedness by coordinating with provincial departments, district administrations and other disaster response agencies.

Climate change, he says, is no longer a distant threat. “It has become a daily reality for communities across the province.”

He says the focus must move beyond responding to disasters. “More attention is needed on preparedness, early warning systems, community awareness and reducing risk before disaster strikes.”

The writer is a freelance journalist.