Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s early warning systems were not activated during the recent torrential rains that killed more than 200 people in Pakistan’s north.
The lapse has triggered urgent calls for accountability and a rapid plan to make the technology work before the next weather spell.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s early warning systems: training done, activation missing
Approved in 2017 with World Bank funding, Pakistan’s $188 million early warning project was meant to predict extreme weather up to 10 months in advance.
Yet bureaucratic delays kept core parts idle for years.
In 2017, the Ministry of Climate Change and UNDP Pakistan through the GLOF-II project held a four-day programme.
Aimed at improving the training of provincial and district officials on assembling, installing, and operating Early Warning Systems.
Delivered by Italy’s CAE S.p.A, the sessions covered hardware, configuration, and field operations in difficult mountain terrain.
Yet the recent floods pose a stark question: why were these capacities not activated when they were needed most?
As floods hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, families and rescuers reported little to no alerting at the community level.
Sirens, SMS broadcasts and mosque loudspeaker messaging were either absent or too late in several places.
Officials confirmed the loss of life and ongoing search and relief.
Pressure is rising for clear answers.
Disaster risk experts want a time bound activation plan for KP’s finish installations, link sensors to cell broadcasts and local PA systems.
They also urge a single command chain for warnings from the Pakistan Meteorological Department.
Coupled with PDMA to district control rooms so alerts reach villages in minutes, not hours.
The lesson is practical. Technology saves lives only when it is powered, connected and rehearsed.
