limate change is an established fact, and its impact on water, agriculture, health, biodiversity, forests and socio-economic sectors are quite visible around the globe.

According to an intergovernmental panel on climate change, the least-developed and developing countries are expected to suffer more due to climate change as compared to developed nations.

This is true if we scale down this fact to the community level; in case of any climatic anomaly, poor people face major consequences due to lack of resources and access to information.

Anthropogenic activities are mainly blamed for surging climate-related disasters occurring in different parts of the world, and marginalincome individuals are the major sufferers.

Pakistan is particularly vulnerable to climate change because it has generally a warm climate; it lies in a geographical region where the temperature increases are expected to be higher than the global average; its land area is mostly arid and semi-arid (about 60 per cent of the area receives less than 250mm of rainfall per year and 24pc receives between 250-500mm); its rivers are predominantly fed by the Himalayan glaciers which are reportedly receding rapidly due to global warming; its economy is largely agrarian and hence highly climate sensitive and because the country faces increasingly larger risks of variability in monsoon rains, such as large floods and extended droughts.

Within Pakistan, Sindh is particularly vulnerable to natural disaster events due to its geo-graphical location, socio-economic vulnerability, and climatic conditions. In 2022, Sindh received rainfall in excess of 400pc over the 30-year average. Agricultural land in the low-lying areas of the province, downstream of the Indus, is highly exposed to flooding, threatening food security in the province and across the country.

Poverty rates are much higher in some flood-impacted districts, reaching 53.4pc in the Badin district. Satellite and survey data suggest that even within tehsils, poorer areas were more likely to be affected by the floods.

Beyond monetary and non-monetary poverty, areas in Sindh affected by the floods showed some of the highest stunting rates in the country, reflecting limited access to sanitation facilities and clean water.

Agriculture accounts for about 24pc and 70pc of provincial GDP and employment in Sindh, respectively, and poor households derive 56pc of their income from agriculture.

Sindh has been disproportionately affected by the 2022 floods. The province received rainfall in excess of six times its average monthly total. According to the National Disaster Management Authority, 799 of the 1,739 nationwide casualties were in Sindh, including 338 children, with 8,422 people injured.

Almost 1.9 million houses in Sindh were damaged or destroyed, nearly 83pc of the nationwide total. Reports estimate that more than 4.4m acres of agricultural land were damaged and 0.8m livestock perished in the country, with the damages and losses in Sindh.

Moreover, Sindh is projected to experiencewarming of 1.9-2.4°C by 2050, with the largest increases seen inland away from the coast. A projected increase in maximum and minimum temperatures in winter will result in shorter winters and longer summers. The late onset and early ending of winter will reduce the length of the growing season. The premature end of winter means that temperatures will start rising in February, just when the wheat crop reaches the grain formation stage.

A sharp rise in temperature causes the forced maturity of grains, but they will not grow to a proper size and weight, nor accumulate the optimum starch content; this will reduce the grain yield, as well as the economic return.

Extreme heat is not only an agricultural threat; it is also a serious health risk, especially forelderly populations.

In 2024, a heat wave led to 5,358 hospital admissions for heat-related illnesses and 158 livestock deaths. While during the period between April and May, 2025, 675 heatstroke cases were treated across the province. Overall, an estimated 8.6m people across 26 districts in Sindh faced heightened food insecurity due tocompounding heat and drought risks.

Climate change is altering the monsoon pattern in Pakistan and Sindh, driving changes in the timing and intensity of rains. Climate change is also impacting water availability in Sindh through the melting of glaciers in the Himalayan and Hindu Kush mountain ranges which feed the Indus. This may lead to interrupted seasonal flows in the Indus.

According to the World Bank study titled `South Asia`s Hotspot`, Sindh emerges as the most vulnerable hotspot in Pakistan, followed by Punjab. Sindh has the second-largest economy, with a per capita GDP of $1,400, which is 35pc more than the national average.

The province has a highly diversified economy, ranging from heavy industry and financecentres in and around Karachi to a substantial agricultural base along the Indus River. Within Sindh, the Hyderabad District emerges as the top hotspot, followed by the districts of Mirpur Khas and Sukkur.

The effects of climate change and the resulting increase of natural disasters have not only compromised efforts to alleviate poverty andfood insecurity but also have negative impacts on overall development efforts. The economic sector mainly related to agriculture, fisheries, livestock, forests and wetlands is either directly or indirectly dependent on weather conditions. Due to environmental and demographic pressures, natural resources are declining at an extremely accelerated pace, further increasing the intensity of climate change.

The Indus Delta is located in the intense heat zone, and any rise in temperature would impact human health due to heat strokes, diarrhoea, cholera, vector-borne diseases and human settlements due to frequent floods, droughts and cyclones. In this region, temperature is likely to increase by 4°C till 2100, and rainfall is going to be highly variable on temporal and spatial scales. The deltaic region would not only be affected by the local weather conditions but also by weather activities upstream Indus and over the neighbouring sea in the south due to climate change.

That said, networks for sharing experiences and ideas, especially between delta areas, will have a fundamental role in helping to address adaptation within specific ecosystems or sites.

As well as regional collaboration, facilitating support from multilateral and bilateral donor agencies is crucial to enable ongoing implementation of climate change actions and improved governance, including water resources.m The author is a development professional with a focus on climate change and the author of the book `Earthly Matters`