US$ 77 million ‘Recharge Pakistan’ initiative unveiled to mitigate flood risk
ISLAMABAD: Romina Khurshid Alam, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, stated that managing the growing flood risks in Pakistan through ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) is the most effective and viable approach. She emphasized that this strategy could turn devastating floods into opportunities that benefit the country’s socio-economic well-being and ecosystems.
“Pakistan continues to face escalating climate risks, including severe floods. Adopting and promoting EbA strategies is crucial for managing the increasing flood risks and their negative impacts on infrastructure, livelihoods, and lives. This approach is essential to protect vulnerable communities, restore damaged ecosystems, and build climate resilience across the country,” she said in her keynote speech at the high-level event Recharge Pakistan as Life to Indus in Baku, held on the sidelines of the COP29 global climate conference.Federal Secretary Railways Inspects Flood Damage
Alam pointed out that floods have long posed growing risks to Pakistan’s landscapes, infrastructure, and communities, with catastrophic events such as the 2022 floods displacing millions and causing billions in economic losses.
“We must acknowledge that traditional flood management or defense systems alone can no longer provide long-term solutions, as floods are becoming more frequent and severe,” she warned. “Mainstreaming EbA techniques is a sustainable solution that can harness natural ecosystem processes to mitigate flooding risks while benefiting biodiversity, livelihoods, and climate resilience.”
She further highlighted that Pakistan’s unique geography demands innovative solutions like EbA to effectively manage flood risks. “Investing in nature-based solutions will not only reduce vulnerability to flooding but also support biodiversity, enhance agricultural productivity, and promote sustainable livelihoods,” she explained.
Romina Khurshid Alam expressed her hope that the Recharge Pakistan initiative, which focuses on flood and water resource management as well as community resilience building, will set an example for other countries to follow.
Overview of the Recharge Pakistan Project:
Hammad Naqi Khan, Director-General of WWF-Pakistan, provided an overview of the Recharge Pakistan project, explaining that monsoon rains and hill torrents, especially during the summer months, have caused significant socio-economic damage due to a lack of proper water storage facilities.
He noted that the ambitious Recharge Pakistan project aims to restore dried or blocked wetlands in the country to store excess floodwater for use during dry months for domestic, agricultural, and groundwater recharge purposes. Khan also highlighted plans to build the resilience of local communities living on both sides of the Indus River, who are often the first to suffer from floods, losing everything, including their livelihoods and agriculture.
Sharing the vision and overarching goals of the project, a senior official from WWF-Pakistan informed event participants that the seven-year Recharge Pakistan initiative, launched last year, seeks to transform Pakistan’s approach to flood and water resource management. The project demonstrates the cost-effectiveness, benefits, and sustainability of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) and green infrastructure interventions in the flood-prone Indus basin.
Led by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, the Federal Flood Commission of Pakistan, and WWF-Pakistan, and funded by the UN-led Green Climate Fund, the US$ 77 million Recharge Pakistan project has been made possible through collaboration with local communities in areas such as Dera Ismael Khan, the Ramak Watershed, the Manchar-Chakkar Lehri Watershed, USAID, and other corporate partners.
The EbA and green infrastructure strategies being implemented in this large-scale project aim to reduce flood extent by 50,800 hectares and capture 20 million cubic meters of water. In addition, watershed management interventions are expected to replenish 1.6 million cubic meters of soil infiltration water. This initiative will directly benefit around 680,000 people and indirectly impact approximately 7 million people living on both sides of the Indus River.
Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Global Lead for Climate and Energy at WWF-International and former COP president, highlighted that this is Pakistan’s largest-ever adaptation project. It reflects the global shift towards resilience in the face of climate vulnerability, a narrative now central in international climate forums, including UN-led COP meetings.
He also cautioned that the success of this project, which could serve as a scalable model for other flood-prone developing countries, will depend on the level of involvement from local communities in the Indus River basin. He noted that similar projects often fail when local communities are not sufficiently engaged in the process.
Kristen Sarri, acting chief climate officer at USAID, emphasized the devastating impact of the massive floods in 2022 and 2010, which caused widespread socio-economic damage and displaced millions of people. These events underscored Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change, which has also contributed to a rise in the country’s disease burden.
Sarri remarked that since these floods, USAID has been working closely with the Pakistani government to help manage flood risks and mitigate their impacts on people and livelihoods by adopting smart water management solutions in river basin areas. She further noted that USAID would continue to strengthen its efforts by focusing on restoring forests, enhancing the Indus ecosystem, and building climate resilience through the Recharge Pakistan project.
