A report published in Reuters showed that it was the thought-provoking testimony from 2025 flood survivors in Northern Pakistan. What began as seasonal rain resulted in a catastrophic environmental disaster. Climate change is projected to increase flood risks two to five times by 2050. Pakistan stands at the forefront of climate-hit countries, and its socio-economic and geographic conditions make it particularly vulnerable to flooding.
The recent flood disasters in 2022 and 2025 are the harsh foreshadowing of the new normal. Conventional flood management approaches include constructing dams, effective drainage systems, and levees. Such interventions are linked with ecosystem disruption and are unsustainable in the long run. On the other hand, biological interventions focus on mitigating flood risks while leveraging ecological processes. This phenomenon is termed Natural Flood Management (NFM) (Bagheri‐Gavkosh et al., 2025).
Decoding floods
Floods are one of the serious environmental concerns, being exacerbated by urbanization, deforestation, and climate change. Riverine floods are associated with heavy rainfall and snowmelt. Flooding occurs when soil and plants cannot absorb water, and it flows in abundance and enters a zone of land that is not usually underwater. This causes damage to infrastructure, biodiversity, and humans. Causes of flooding include continuous rainfall, deforestation, geological factors, and low soil permeability (Javadinejad, 2022).
The 2025 floods are one of the recent examples that resulted in nearly 1000 human casualties. Several homes and buildings have been swept away in key districts like Buner, Swat, Mansehra, Gilgit, and AJK. These floods are also accompanied by land degradation and crop damage. This would have severe economic consequences, given that more than 60% Pakistanis are dependent on Agriculture. According to a report published in The Express Tribune, roads and bridges are also damaged, impacting the connectivity of several districts with the rest of the country and intensifying the region’s battle with the recent surge in terrorism.
“Roads and bridges are also damaged, impacting the connectivity of several districts of KPK with the rest of the country, intensifying the region’s battle with the recent surge in terrorism.”
How Could Biological Approaches help Flood Management?
Climate change and socioeconomic developments are increasing the frequency and severity of floods. Flood management is widely recognized as an effective way to reduce the adverse consequences, and more resilient and sustainable approaches with effective policies have been implemented globally. One of them, and widely accepted, is the biological approach for effective flood management. Below are some key areas in which this approach is helping to reduce flood risks.
Reforestation and Vegetation
According to Global Forest Watch, Pakistan experienced a 1% decline in forest areas due to the massive flooding in 2022. Trees are beneficial in flood prevention as their roots create channels in the soil, which allows water to infiltrate deep into the ground instead of becoming surface runoff. Roots also stabilize the soil by binding it together and preventing erosion. Additionally, most of the rainwater is intercepted by the leaves and branches, preventing it from reaching the ground (Maqsood et al., 2024).
Thus, it is required to reforest the catchment areas of major rivers, the Indus, Chenab, and Ravi, to reduce the amount of water entering rivers. On the other hand, to prevent urban flooding, green spaces such as parks and urban forests can act as natural sponges. To protect major cities like Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi from urban flooding, permeable green spaces should be created that could help prevent waterlogging and resulting damage.
Mangrove Reforestation
Mangroves not only act as a physical barrier against coastal flooding but also stabilize shorelines and prevent coastal erosion. These forests also help in the process known as “accretion”, in which roots cause the water to slow down, allowing sediments to settle out.
In this regard “Delta Blue Carbon” project has been launched in Pakistan. This project was carried out in partnership with IUCN and has been hugely successful in restoring the mangrove forests (Mitra et al., 2024). These forests are protecting native communities from environmental atrocities, including flooding. For example, during Cyclone Kyarr (2019), the villages behind mangrove forests suffered less compared to those that lacked any natural barrier.
Wetlands
Wetlands are considered natural sponges that absorb excess rainfall and enhance infiltration, thereby reducing surface runoff. Pakistan has nearly 19 wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. They are found in regions like the Indus Delta, KPK (Tanda Dam), and Gilgit and AJK (Satpara and Sheosar). Their restoration alongside rivers is essential for flood management, so they could act as water storage parks. This could be achieved by connecting river channels with floodplains so the water pressure could be minimized on the main channel. They could also act as distributed water storage parks.
Along with disaster management, they are also beneficial for agriculture. They release stored water during dry spells and recharge aquifers, and ultimately help farmers in irrigation management. For example, Haleji Lake in Sindh is not only a Ramsar site but also an important source of water for nearby farms (Batool et al., 2025).
Soil microbiology
This science deals with the microbes, including bacteria and fungi, that colonize the soil and define soil characteristics. A diverse soil microbiome is a prerequisite for creating a landscape that can withstand and recover from flooding. For example, fungal hyphae help in creating stable soil aggregates that make the soil porous and promote vegetation and plant growth.
Moreover, to protect the soil and prevent flooding in Pakistan, many incentives could be employed, including subsidizing cover cropping and organic amendments in the soil. Especially the salt-affected soil in Punjab (that becomes waterlogged and generates massive runoff) could be treated with organic amendments to promote healthy plant growth within the soil. In this regard, composting and vermicomposting plants should be set up near soil-degraded areas (Humphries, 2020).
Karez System
This system involves slowing down the flow of water, spreading it over a wide area, or sinking it into the ground. The Karez system comprises underground water channels that are connected to the groundwater. In this system, water flow is guided by gravity. Karez acts as a water supply to arid areas and helps the growth of trees and crops, which in turn also improve soil structure and help mitigate flooding by acting as a bio-hydrological regulator (Buriro et al., 2024).
This system is usually found in Baluchistan and KPK mountainous areas, but due to the increasing use of tube wells and other irrigation systems, its use has been declining. However, modern engineering techniques should be incorporated into this system to make its maintenance safer and efficient. Moreover, the Karez system could be introduced in areas like the Potohar region and the Kirthar mountains foothills to prevent the entry of water into the flat plain of Sindh from upstream regions.
Bio-ecological Drainage Systems
They integrate biological components with engineering solutions to manage stormwater. This transformative approach helps in managing urban water by leveraging natural processes to prevent flooding. It builds a network of integrated natural features specialized to slow, infiltrate, and store rainwater at its source (Chaplot & Asli Charandabi, 2024). This system consists of various features such as Artificial wetlands, Vegetated channels or bioswales, Permeable pavements, Rain gardens, Artificial ponds, and Green roofs.
Bio-ecological drainage system offers a critical solution to the issue of urban flooding in Pakistan, as it prevents the overloading of traditional, limited drains, and manages rainwater in streets, parks, and houses in urban areas.
Challenges and Policy Recommendations
To implement Natural Flood Management (NFM) in Pakistan, numerous hurdles need to be overcome. First is the lack of coordination among government departments. Separate departments exist for Agriculture, disaster management, and water management. Moreover, there is limited participation of local communities in government-funded afforestation efforts and indigenous water management programs.
Another critical challenge is a shortage of technical capacity for designing and implementing modern bio-ecological drainage systems. These projects also require huge funding and investment, which would demand competition with grey infrastructure funding projects (Ateeb & Zia, 2023).
To overcome these obstacles, it is necessary to make NFM a key part of the national disaster management policy, specifically water and flood management. Water management experts like Dr Taskeen Zahra Buriro and Qammar Un Nisa Jatoi recommend enhanced coordination among government departments.
There is a need to implement economic incentives for farmers to adopt soil-friendly practices and subsidies for urban developers to adopt a bio-ecological drainage system. Local communities should be taken into confidence for the success of indigenous solutions.
Additionally, international funding should be secured from funds like the Green Climate Fund to support NFM projects at the national and provincial levels. Finally, research and collaboration among national and international universities should be strengthened to replicate global NFM projects in Pakistan (Buriro & Un Nisa Jatoi, 2025).
Climate and policy experts recommend that the escalating flooding demand a fundamental shift in management strategy in Pakistan. Under such circumstances, NFM has proven to be a sustainable and resilient pathway. A synergistic approach is required, from afforestation to reviving the Karez system to an advanced bio-ecological drainage system in urban areas, to prevent flooding in Pakistan.
These options are linked with sustainable flood prevention and provide additional ecological benefits like recharging natural aquifers and promoting biodiversity. To implement these solutions effectively, Pakistan needs an integrated approach of combining effective policy-making and allocation of proper funds.
References:
- Ateeb, M., & Zia, S. (2023). A Case Study of Pakistan’s 2022 Floods. IC4R-2023, 103.
- Bagheri‐Gavkosh, M., Panici, D., Puttock, A., Dauben, T., & Brazier, R. E. (2025). Hydrological Analysis and Impacts of Natural Flood-Management Strategies: A Systematic Review. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 18(3), e70112.
- Batool, A., Parveen, A., Nawaz, M., Razzaq, D., Mukhtar, M., & Mustafavi, N. (2025). Wetlands of the Plains of Pakistan. Wetlands of Tropical and Subtropical Asia and Africa: Biodiversity, Livelihoods and Conservation, 67-83.
- Buriro, S. A., Abro, A. A., & Abro, A. A. (2024). Sindhi Indigenous Ecological Knowledge: Sustainable Practices for Climate Change Resilience. Journal of Asian Development Studies, 13(3), 734-748.
- Buriro, T. Z., & Un Nisa Jatoi, Q. (2025). Pakistan’s Flood Management Strategies: A Critical Review of Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Risk Mitigation. Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, 31(4), 84-90.
- Chaplot, B., & Asli Charandabi, M. (2024). Bio‐Ecological Drainage System (BIOECODS) for Flood Management: Case Study: Maharani Janki Kunwar College, Bettiah. Journal of Hydraulic and Water Engineering, 2(1), 98-111.
- Humphries, N. H. (2020). Microbiological and geochemical response of biosolid amended soils to flooding, University of Leeds.
- Javadinejad, S. (2022). Resources, Environment and Information Engineering, 4(1), 173-183.
- Maqsood, M. H., Mumtaz, R., & Khan, M. A. (2024). Deforestation detection and reforestation potential due to natural disasters—A case study of floods. Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment, 34, 101188.
- Mitra, B., Rahman, M. M., Khan, A. A., & Rahman, S. M. (2024). Assessing the impact of sea level rise on the Indus delta in Pakistan: A comprehensive analysis of flooded areas and future vulnerabilities. Heliyon, 10(12).
- https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/pakistan-villagers-say-floods-hit-in-seconds-toll-rises-2025-08-20/
- https://tribune.com.pk/story/2563380/k-ps-twin-battles-terrorism-and-climate
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