Karachi: Recurrent urban flooding in Pakistan has become a significant economic emergency, requiring a shift from post-disaster relief to preventive climate-resilience policies, according to Mian Zahid Hussain, President of the Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum. He highlighted the widespread impacts of recent monsoon rains, which have disrupted commercial and industrial activities, closed markets, and affected transportation and electricity systems across cities.

According to Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum, the economic consequences of past urban flooding events underscore the severity of the issue. In 2025, floods in Karachi resulted in losses estimated between Rs14 to Rs15 billion in just two days, with over 1,000 shops and warehouses affected. The 2020 floods alone caused losses of Rs10 to Rs12 billion in Karachi. The 2022 nationwide floods demonstrated the rapid transformation of agricultural destruction into an industrial crisis, with direct damage to agriculture and related sectors amounting to approximately Rs800 billion, and economic losses reaching Rs1.986 trillion. These disasters also led to the loss of 1,739 lives, extensive damage to crops, and the destruction of livestock.

Hussain expressed concern over the destruction of cotton during the 2022 floods, noting its critical role in the textile industry, which constitutes a significant portion of industrial production and exports. He emphasized the broader impact of flooding on various sectors, including the shutdown of factories, increased production costs, and heightened prices for essential goods. He urged the government to implement a Monsoon Economic Damage Dashboard to track the impacts and called for independent audits of drainage systems, effective cleaning of drains, and strict action against encroachments.

Hussain advocated for the establishment of proper flood-response and business-continuity plans and recommended that banks provide emergency working capital to affected businesses. He underscored the need for expanded insurance coverage and highlighted the importance of replacing reliance on post-disaster relief with comprehensive prevention and preparedness policies to protect lives, ensure food security, and maintain economic stability.