International community should boost assistance to Pakistan for extreme weather: Prof Cheng

BEIJING, Apr 6 (APP): In recent years, Pakistan has been repeatedly battered by frequent extreme weather events—from catastrophic floods and searing heatwaves to sudden torrential downpours—resulting in heavy casualties and colossal economic losses.

As one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, Pakistan bears minimal responsibility for global climate change yet endures a disproportionate share of its devastating consequences. The recent heavy rainfall, which claimed 45 lives, including 23 children, has once again underscored the urgency of upgrading the country’s disaster governance and highlighted the critical need for the international community to ramp up assistance in supporting its response efforts.

These views were expressed by Prof Cheng Xizhong, Senior Research Fellow at the Charhar Institute, a non-governmental Chinese think-tank on diplomacy and international studies based in Beijing.

He said to effectively tackle extreme weather, Pakistan must first address the core flaws in its current disaster governance framework. A pivotal shortcoming is its obsolete early warning system, which fails to deliver timely, accessible alerts to communities in remote rural areas—leaving vulnerable populations caught off guard.

Additionally, inadequate infrastructure, such as shoddy drainage systems and substandard housing in flood-prone regions, magnifies the impact of disasters. Compounding these issues, long-term underinvestment in disaster prevention and relief, exacerbated by Pakistan’s persistent economic strains, has left local authorities woefully ill-equipped to handle emergencies—making international support not just valuable, but utterly indispensable.

Pakistan has actionable steps to enhance its capacity to respond to extreme weather, but these efforts will falter without robust international backing. For instance, investing in modern early warning technologies—including real-time weather monitoring systems and community-based alert networks—can ensure the prompt dissemination of critical information to at-risk groups, yet this initiative hinges on financial and technical support from the global community. Similarly, upgrading key infrastructure—such as improving drainage systems and constructing disaster-resilient housing—will help mitigate disaster risks at their source, but such large-scale projects are far beyond Pakistan’s current economic means.

Prof Cheng said that furthermore, Pakistan should strengthen international cooperation to secure much-needed financial and technical assistance, as its ongoing economic predicament severely constrains domestic investment in disaster governance. It should also prioritize community resilience building through targeted education and training, empowering local residents to better respond to and recover from extreme weather events.

Crucially, the international community must recognize Pakistan as an innocent victim of climate change and step up its support—providing vital funding, advanced technology, and capacity-building resources. Only through such a collaborative, proactive approach can Pakistan effectively mitigate the impact of frequent extreme weather and safeguard the safety and well-being of its people in the long run, he added.