Pakistan launches major upgrade to flood warning system as climate threats grow

By Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Meteorological Department has initiated a sweeping overhaul of its weather forecasting and flood warning infrastructure, aiming to bolster the country’s defences against increasingly severe climate events, state media APP reported on Tuesday.

The effort, dubbed the Modernisation of Hydromet Services of Pakistan (MHSP), falls under the World Bank-funded Integrated Flood Resilience Adaptation Project (IFRAP). It seeks to enhance climate resilience by upgrading the department’s ability to produce, analyse and share accurate hydrometeorological data, a press release from the department said.

The project encompasses the deployment of 110 Automatic Weather Stations, four Fixed Weather Surveillance Radars and a High-Performance Computing System, based on documents obtained by Wealth Pakistan, a local news outlet. Additional components include hiring System Integrator and Radar Consultancy firms, renovating the Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics as well as the Meteorological Workshop in Karachi, modernising observatories, setting up Regional Climate Data Processing Centres, and developing a National Framework for Climate Services along with a National Hydromet Policy.

Overseen by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, the MHSP is intended to refine flood forecasting, early warning mechanisms and overall climate risk management — critical needs in a nation frequently battered by monsoon floods and erratic weather patterns. Funding for the project totals Rs2,998.6 million under the fiscal year 2025-26 Public Sector Development Programme.

For the current quarter, Rs206 million are required, with Rs32.78 million expended so far this fiscal year. Cumulative spending since the project’s inception stands at Rs312.78 million. As of September 2025, technical advancements have moved forward steadily. Procurement for the Automatic Weather Stations has concluded, with a contract expected to be signed shortly. Financial bids for the System Integrator Consultancy have been reviewed, and the technical assessment for the Radar Consultancy is underway.

The acquisition of Weather Surveillance Radars has progressed significantly and now awaits the World Bank’s endorsement of the finalized technical specifications. A consultancy firm for civil works has been on board since March 2025, while technical evaluations continue for bids to upgrade the Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics and the Meteorological Workshop. In a bid to accelerate implementation, the Meteorological Department has requested tax exemptions and an additional $42 million in funding. This supplementary amount breaks down to $18.21 million for duties and taxes, $13.79 million to cover rising market prices, and $10 million to address a financing shortfall.

A senior official in the Planning Ministry, speaking to Wealth Pakistan, emphasised the project’s long-term impact: “Once completed, the MHSP will mark a key milestone in Pakistan’s disaster preparedness and climate resilience, providing timely and precise weather forecasts essential for agriculture, water resource management, and disaster risk reduction across the country.”