Flood devastation in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa exposes governance failures, as unchecked construction, weak enforcement, and political interference turn natural disasters into human-made tragedies.
The large-scale devastation in Buner and across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, where hundreds of people lost their lives and entire villages were washed away, cannot be blamed solely on heavy rainfall. According to a recent report, the destruction stems from deeper systemic issues — neglect of science, violation of established rules, and the absence of accountability for those who enable hazardous development practices.
The findings, published in an editorial by Business Recorder, highlight how years of poor governance and unchecked construction in vulnerable areas turned torrential rain into a human-made catastrophe. The report pointedly remarks that hotels, houses, and other structures did not rise on riverbanks and floodplains by themselves — they were either approved officially or tolerated by authorities who chose to ignore clear risks. Pakistan’s Prime Minister himself acknowledged the crisis as a “human blunder,” underlining the role of negligence in amplifying natural disasters.
A Familiar Cycle of Tragedy and Neglect
The editorial observes that Pakistan’s handling of floods follows a depressingly repetitive pattern. After every round of devastation, the government announces relief packages, distributes compensation cheques, and vows sweeping reforms. Yet, as public attention shifts, inertia sets in, vested interests regain influence, and previous promises fade into obscurity. This cycle ensures that each subsequent flood brings fresh destruction, largely borne by the poorest and most vulnerable communities.
Laws already exist in Pakistan to regulate land use and construction in high-risk areas. Environmental and disaster management authorities are mandated to prevent encroachments and safeguard floodplains. Yet, enforcement is weak. Political pressures, commercial incentives, and corruption often override legal provisions, allowing dangerous projects to proceed unchecked. The report stresses that this failure is not due to lack of resources or technical expertise but rather a lack of political will.
Selective Application of the Law
The report draws a sharp contrast between the state’s strictness in certain areas and its negligence in others. Authorities have historically deployed machinery to act against tax defaulters and petty encroachments in urban centers. However, when it comes to powerful stakeholders involved in illegal riverbank construction, action is conspicuously absent. This selective application of law reflects governance gaps that have repeatedly turned natural hazards into large-scale human tragedies.
The editorial emphasizes that Pakistan’s disaster management system cannot simply rely on relief distribution and rhetoric. Instead, accountability must extend to those who authorized unsafe construction projects and failed to enforce existing rules. It also questions whether hotels and structures that collapsed into rivers in 2022 have since been rebuilt in the same prohibited zones, and whether any officials were ever investigated for permitting such practices.
Promises Without Enforcement
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced meetings with provincial governments on issues such as disaster preparedness, reforestation, and regulating construction. While these measures are important, the editorial underscores that similar promises have been made in the past without meaningful follow-through. Enforcement and accountability, not declarations, are the true measures of progress.
Without effective punishment for rule-breaking and without institutions shielded from political interference, the risks remain unchanged. Reforestation drives and disaster drills, while valuable, cannot substitute for a government that refuses to enforce its own regulations.
Human Choices, Human Costs
The report makes a clear distinction between unavoidable natural disasters and human decisions that exacerbate their consequences. In Pakistan, influence and corruption have frequently dictated construction approvals, forest clearance, and the application of safety codes. These choices, rather than nature alone, have left hundreds dead and thousands displaced in the latest floods.
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The editorial concludes that the real issue is not that lessons were never learned, but that lessons were deliberately ignored. Unless Pakistan breaks this cycle with concrete enforcement and genuine accountability, each monsoon season will bring fresh devastation, turning official statements into nothing more than additions to a long record of unheeded warnings.
