Pakistan once again finds itself grappling with the devastating rhythms of monsoon, a cycle that has turned extremely destructive in recent years. Northern regions of Pakistan have seen increasingly severe flash floods, cloud bursts, and landslides in the past 24 hrs. According to Al Jazeera, July 22, 2025, about 21 people had been reportedly died and several missing. The year 2025 has seen a loss of 242 lives because of these devastating weather conditions.

Gilgit Baltistan’s cloudburst displaced hundreds, exposing risks from glacial melt and climate change impacts in vulnerable areas.

Gilgit Baltistan, known for its serene landscape in the past, is now a symbol of growing climate sensitivity. A cloudburst swept through the villages and valleys of Diamer district, cutting off roads, displacing locals, and some 200 tourists to various safe places.  Authorities have moved swiftly to evacuate tourists and locals trapped by providing temporary shelter in Chilas valley with few individuals missing.

The fact that this catastrophe took place in one of the most glaciated and ecologically vulnerable parts of Pakistan comes as no surprise. GLOFs are catastrophic floods that scientists have cautioned about over the past decades, and they happen as the glaciers melt under rapidly warming conditions. Pakistan, with the highest number of glaciers above 7,000, is sitting on the edge of the climate crisis. But the threat levels have moved way ahead of the government’s readiness and the level of awareness by the general population.

The story was more dismal in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: here ten more people died, including six children, because of the collapsing homes and the landslides. To far too many families living in poverty, their houses are not strong enough against the power of the monsoon. Although the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has been issuing warnings and deploying relief workers, these resources can be more of responses to incoming crises rather than long-standing interventions in such emergencies due to climate change.

As the rains are anticipated to continue until July 25, landslide alerts have been issued in Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. According to the meteorological department, there were a couple of heavy downpours, strong winds and thunderstorms in the following days, which is disheartening beyond meteorological terms.

Structural failures like unchecked urbanization and poor drainage increase flood severity and casualties across Pakistan.

The core of this year’s destruction resides in an even worse malfunction: the failure to learn to evolve institutional systems and urban planning, as well as preparedness for emergency contingencies, as the climate changes. Two individuals went missing in Islamabad when their vehicle was carried away by the drainage, yet the capital is one of the well-endowed regions of the country. How about poor, remote, and underdeveloped areas with shabby infrastructure and small state presence?

What makes these disasters more devastating is not just the intensity of natural events but the structural unpreparedness of the state. Poorly regulated urbanization, encroachments on natural waterways, and inadequate drainage systems have made cities and towns more flood-prone than ever. While early warning systems exist, their coverage is limited and often fails to reach marginalized areas in time. The result is a recurring pattern where disaster response takes precedence over disaster preparedness, locking the state in a reactive mode year after year.

Monsoon has forever been an aspect of the ecological identity of South Asia– it is life-giver and in some instances, it is a devastator. However, climate change has disordered this balance. The air of slightly heated temperatures has more moisture, which makes the monsoons more weighty, less predictable, and more devastating.

The mix of deforestation, disorderly building, and sprawling cities increases the factors that are likely to cause a disaster. In part, this is what Pakistan has done in recent years to establish itself as a climate-vulnerable state, both in its commitments at COP summits, as well as in the iconic visuals of the floods of last year, which swallowed a third of Pakistan. However, resilience cannot be merely motivated by vulnerability. With the water continuing to rise in 2025, it is no longer a matter of rescue and relief; however, a matter of reform and redesign.

Early warning systems exist but lack coverage, especially in marginalized and remote communities, worsening disaster impact.

How many monsoons do Pakistan to continue treating them as structural riders instead of treating them as a seasonal disruption? Until citizens and governments see ecological foresight as part of policy, planning, and the collective imagination, the monsoons will just keep on coming, not as a season but as vengeance.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.