Last year, the country was jolted when nearly 18 tourists drowned in the Swat River, while over 500 people lost their lives in floods and cloudburst incidents across various districts of the province. Yet, hotels continue to operate dangerously close to the river in Swat, Kalam, Madyan, Bahrain, and Mingora, raising serious concerns ahead of the approaching monsoon season.
Kalam alone hosts around 500 hotels, Bahrain nearly 100, Madyan about 40, and Mingora approximately 250, as per investigations. Sources claim that nearly 40% of these facilities are still located along riverbanks and other vulnerable sites, even after repeated disasters. Investigations by The Express Tribune revealed that the hotel, whose alleged negligence led to the drowning of tourists, has been rebuilt and reopened, despite the tragedy.
Unmoved by the losses, the province continues to rely on a Britishera gauge method, where numbers painted under bridges are used to estimate river flow and water levels. Under standard protocol, these gauges are meant to be monitored round the clock. However, the irrigation department staff are rarely present throughout the day.
Noting the frustration, Fazal Khan, a resident of Matta village near the Swat River, expressed, “Every year, floods come suddenly while people are asleep. They don’t even get time to respond,” he said, stressing the need for a system that enables residents to evacuate in advance.
The government’s promised telemetry-based early warning system, designed to provide real-time flood alerts, has also not been installed.
Moaz Khan, a technical officer in the K-P Irrigation Department, noted, “The modern system will provide real-time data on river discharge, water flow, rainfall averages, storms, and wind speed,” adding that the information would be shared daily through a central command and control room with district administrations and rescue agencies.
This automated system would enable authorities to issue early alerts about flood risks and help the province respond more effectively to climate-driven disasters, he shared.
Climate change activist Azharuddin, who has been working on environmental issues in Malakand for the past decade, observed the lack of climate policy and said, “Cloudbursts, floods, glacier melting, and urban flooding have emerged as the region’s most urgent challenges.”
He added, “Swat and Kalam host seven to eight major glaciers, but construction and road expansion in glacier zones under the banner of tourism continue unchecked.”
He pointed to projects near Jabba Mankiyal, located just 10 to 12 kilometres from a glacier, and to a government-approved ski resort in Kalam that leads to increased construction, traffic, and ultimately raises carbon emissions. Soot particles can settle on glaciers and accelerate melting by as much as 10%, compounding flood risks downstream, he explained.
Azharuddin also highlighted the growing problem of urban flooding in Swat, where residents have built small bridges and diverted river channels near their homes. “When flash floods come from upstream, logs and debris get trapped at these bridges, forcing the water to change direction and inundate residential areas,” he said, adding that the administration has turned a blind eye to these hazards, contributing to greater losses each year.
Dr Saima Hashim, Associate Professor at the University of Agriculture, Peshawar, and a climate expert, stressed that policy announcements alone cannot shield communities unless translated into local action. “Climate risks, particularly floods, water scarcity, and health impacts, are escalating faster than the government’s response,” she warned.
According to her, climate governance in the province remains fragile and poorly coordinated, with overlapping departmental mandates and limited technical capacity. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), she shared, faces staff shortages, inadequate laboratory facilities, and insufficient budget.
Dr Hashim also underscored the absence of community participation in climate planning, as farmers, among the most affected by changing rainfall patterns and heat stress, are rarely consulted in policymaking.
Compounding the situation, the province’s Climate Change, Environment and Forestry department remains under the Chief Minister, and no major meeting on climate change has reportedly been convened so far.