2026 monsoon season: ‘Alarming forecast single largest threat to economic survival’

KARACHI: Mian Zahid Hussain, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum & All Karachi Industrial Alliance and Chairman National Business Group Pakistan, Chairman Policy Advisory Board FPCCI, has stated that the alarming forecast for the 2026 monsoon season is a climate crisis not merely an environmental challenge but the single largest threat to Pakistan’s economic survival.

Referring to the recent warning issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Ministry of Climate Change, Mian Zahid Hussain noted with deep concern that the 2026 monsoon is projected to be 22 percent to 26 percent more intense than previous years.

“The business community is deeply apprehensive about the projections of a 26% wetter monsoon season next year,” Mian Zahid said. “We are still recovering from the economic shocks of previous floods. Pakistan’s economy, particularly the agricultural and industrial sectors, cannot sustain another hit of that magnitude. When climate disasters wipe out 9% of our GDP while we struggle to achieve a 3-4 percent growth rate, it creates a deficit that no amount of external borrowing can fix.”

The business leader welcomed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent directive to initiate immediate preparations for the 2026 monsoon but cautioned that directives must translate into visible action on the ground. He emphasized that “preparedness” must go beyond purchasing tents and stockpiling food rations; it requires engineering solutions and infrastructure reinforcement.

“The government’s short-term resilience plan is a step in the right direction, but we need a ‘war-footing’ approach,” he stated. “We have a window of approximately 200 days before the pre-monsoon activity begins. This time must be utilized to dredge storm water drains in all industrial hubs, reinforce river embankments in Punjab and Sindh, and create safe spillways for the glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) threatening the north.”

Mian Zahid Hussain highlighted that the agricultural sector, the backbone of the national economy, is the most vulnerable. He pointed out that the cotton crop, which is vital for our textile exports, is repeatedly destroyed by erratic weather patterns. “If the farmer is destroyed, the industry is destroyed, and our export targets become impossible to meet,” he warned. He urged the Ministry of National Food Security to work on introducing flood-resistant crop varieties and to educate farmers on shifting weather cycles immediately.

Furthermore, Mian Zahid Hussain called for the transparent utilization of climate funds. He suggested that the private sector be taken into confidence regarding the National Resilience Plan to ensure that industrial zones are protected from urban flooding, which frequently brings manufacturing to a halt in Karachi.

“We cannot stop the rain, but we can certainly stop the mismanagement that turns rain into a disaster,” Mian Zahid remarked. “The business community stands ready to support the government in this national cause, but we demand a comprehensive, timeline-based strategy. Climate change is here, it is accelerating, and our response must be equally rapid.”