Pakistan fails to use $188 million grant for weather disaster early warning system
A man makes his way through a flooded road after the rains and floods brought by remnants of Typhoon Doksuri, in Zhuozhou, Hebei province, on Thursday [Tingshu Wang/Reuters]
This monsoon season has claimed nearly 500 lives in Pakistan, half of them children. Beyond climate change, these deaths reveal systemic failures in governance, particularly within the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
Despite receiving $188 million from the World Bank to modernize hydromet infrastructure, Pakistan failed to establish an effective early warning system—leaving millions vulnerable to extreme weather.
A chance missed
The effort to upgrade PMD started in 2016, following a sudden windstorm in Islamabad and Rawalpindi that caught authorities off guard. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered a revamp of the department, and with World Bank assistance, a detailed Hydromet Modernization Roadmap was created.
By 2017, $106 million was earmarked for PMD and $82 million for NDMA to set up a National Disaster Response Force. The plan could have positioned Pakistan alongside Bangladesh and Nepal in weather forecasting and disaster preparedness.
Yet internal opposition slowed progress. DG PMD Ghulam Rasul reportedly delayed the World Bank project in favor of a CPEC-linked initiative due to alleged personal interests. Procedural delays, lack of NDMA advocacy, and leadership changes stalled approvals, leaving the $188 million largely untouched.
Financial setbacks and lost progress
Bangladesh and Nepal advanced quickly using similar funding, while Pakistan incurred costs on unused funds, reducing the loan’s value from $188 million to $168 million. Later, part of the funding was redirected to green jobs and hydromet modernization under the NDRMF, but political and administrative issues limited its impact. Eventually, $150 million was diverted to flood relief via the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).
Where things stand today
Hydromet modernization under IFRAP is slowly moving forward, with $40 million allocated for PMD upgrades. Automatic Weather Station tenders are in process, but radar procurement is pending. NDMA is generating forecasts through Weatherwalay, and Pakistan’s new weather satellite offers some hope for improved disaster prediction.
Officials insist the project is progressing, with soft components running alongside hardware upgrades. However, accountability for the long delay remains a critical question, as the country continues to face devastating monsoons without a fully operational early warning system.