NDMA forecasts intense winter, strong monsoon in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster and Management Authority (NDMA) issued a winter alert on Wednesday, cautioning that while the number of winter days would remain the same, the cold season this year would be far more intense.

It also expects above-average snowfall this time in Gilgit Baltistan and other northern areas. NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik has also predicted that the 2026 monsoon rains may increase by 22 to 26 percent.

The Minister for Climate Change, Dr. Musadik Malik, emphasized that the need of the hour is to treat climate-driven disasters as a political priority. He said flooding this year affected at least 4.7 million people in more than 4,700 villages in Punjab alone.

Since 2010, Pakistan has seen a number of massive floods, including the disaster in 2022 that resulted in losses of more than nine percent of GDP and claimed thousands of lives. Dr. Malik briefed reporters on the government’s preparedness strategy after holding a detailed meeting presided over by the prime minister.

He said the plan comprises a short-term phase focused on the repair of damaged flood protection structures; a one to three-year expansion phase to upgrade the undersized drainage systems; and a long-term program to build more resilient infrastructure.

He further added that the government will integrate early warning systems at district and tehsil levels whereby the local government receives the alerts first in order to enhance timely responses before the advent of extreme weather.