“When Monsoon Becomes a Monster”

 

Ishraq A. Hashmi

It is said, “What we once called the season of life has now become the season of loss—the monsoon is no longer a blessing but a warning.”

What once was celebrated as the lifeline of South Asia—the monsoon rains that nourished fields, filled rivers, and refreshed parched lands—has now turned into a nightmare. The same skies that once promised fertility now deliver fury, drowning villages, sweeping away homes, and leaving death in their wake. This is not the gentle rhythm of seasons but the violent pulse of a climate in crisis. What we face today is no longer the monsoon of our childhood memories but a monster unleashed by human negligence, deforestation, and the unchecked greed that fuels climate change.

Someone stated rightly that “Climate change has turned familiar rains into unfamiliar floods; the monster we created is now knocking on every door.”

Thanks to one of my friends who says, "I am basically a rationalist. I believe in the principles of mathematics and science, I try to follow logic, and I reject illogical and irrational things, but despite this, sometimes I leave all these philosophies alone because this world is very mysterious, and no single science or theory is broad enough to understand this work of glass-making of the universe. That is why I believe that one should speak with a grain of salt; who knows when something said will be proven true? At present, the glory of this is that I used to say jokingly that this world will be destroyed in the next sixty to seventy years; the background of this prediction was the disasters of climate change. I do not know what was the unfortunate hour when I uttered this word, which is now being proven correct. Seeing the way the floods have wreaked havoc in this region, it seems that the destruction of the entire world will begin from South Asia."

The videos of areas in Pakistan and India that are being spread on social media are extremely horrifying; villages, towns, and cities are being destroyed; crops are being destroyed; people are dying; and their property and houses are being swept away. What is even more horrifying is that this water will not stop here anymore, nor will it wait for our government institutions and departments to be able to cope with climate change before it starts flowing so that the damage is minimal. In a country like ours, floods, even major floods, occur every second or third year, meaning that we are just estimating the recovery when the next flood comes. The million-dollar question is whether this climate change can be reversed; if not, then how to deal with it. Do we even have the capacity to cope with this scourge? I found the answers to these questions on the social media platform X, and the person who said these things is Engineer Zafar Iqbal Wattoo.

He keeps giving very informative and practical suggestions on this topic. Here is one of his writings: “What we are witnessing is not a monsoon but a climatic shock. Our hearts are deeply saddened by the loss of more than 200 lives, the destruction of houses and bridges, and the rescue team members martyred in the Mi-17 helicopter crash in Kashmir, Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Dir, Mansehra, and nearby areas due to devastating floods. However, these tragedies are a painful reminder that climate change has now entered our homes. In Pakistan, these disasters are no longer an ‘exceptional’ event but have become routine and demand decisive action from us. If we continue to delay taking practical steps to avoid climate change, the cost of our inaction could reach $250 billion in the next five years alone. Floods alone could cost Pakistan $60 billion by 2050.

We also believe that “South Asia’s future will not be decided in parliaments or conferences, but in the rising waters of its rivers.”

This year, the 2025 Climate Risk Index has ranked Pakistan as the country most affected by climate change, even though Pakistan contributes only 1% to the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. A human tragedy is unfolding before our eyes as a result of climate change. Governments must now move beyond words because we have known for many years that this disaster did not come suddenly, but our preparations, policies, and practical measures to deal with it are inadequate. These actions must be taken now urgently.

1- The rampant deforestation should be stopped.

2- Rivers, streams, and floodplains should be identified, and human settlements should be restricted in them.

3- There should be environmental modeling, flood forecasting, and flood warning systems, which are not a big problem in the digital age. 4- There should be a rescue and response app in disaster-affected areas at the time of disaster.

5- Tourist traffic in potentially flood-prone areas should be monitored.

6- Standards and codes for bridges, roads, and other constructions should be upgraded in terms of the effects of climate change.

7- All departments related to climate disaster prevention should be closely linked, and decision-makers and workers working in these departments should be trained, and capacity building should be done on the modern science of climate change.

8- Funding should be brought from international organizations for disaster management and prevention projects in accordance with the requirements of climate justice. 9. Awareness should be raised and the public should be trained to protect themselves from the effects of climate change at the public level. "Engineer Zafar Iqbal Wattoo has locked the river in a jar; now it is our responsibility to keep this river closed and open the jar when we need it. But for some reason, I feel that hardly any of these things are implemented because not only the public but also the government level does not realize how terrible the consequences of climate change can be (and are). This is not business as usual; the climate catastrophe will swallow everything, and we will keep signing files.

There are three stages to dealing with this problem: first, planning; second, preparation; and third, reaction. Unfortunately, we are only fighting fires, and that too is not happening properly because we have not put a chip in our brain that can tell us that this is not the monsoon that comes to India and Pakistan every year, but this is the genie of climate change, which is impossible to control. If we do not solve this problem, as Zafar Wattoo has mentioned, then there is no other option but to stop creating innocent lives in this world because this world will not be fit for the children born in the future.

If the monsoon has become a monster, it is because we fed it with our neglect and apathy. Yet, this monster can still be tamed—if we act with wisdom and urgency. Engineer Zafar Iqbal Wattoo rightly reminds us that climate change is no longer an exceptional event but a permanent reality, demanding decisive steps. Pakistan must halt rampant deforestation, identify rivers and floodplains to restrict human settlements, and build digital forecasting and early warning systems. At the same time, stronger building codes, resilient roads and bridges, and stricter monitoring of tourism in flood-prone areas are essential to reducing risk. But technology and infrastructure alone are not enough—we need rescue and response mechanisms such as mobile apps for disaster zones, greater coordination among all relevant departments, and capacity-building on modern climate science for decision-makers. Above all, public awareness must be raised so ordinary citizens know how to protect themselves, while international climate justice funds should be secured to support long-term adaptation projects.

Climate change has already entered our homes; denial is no longer an option. Planning, preparation, and coordinated reaction are the only ways forward. If we fail to implement these urgent measures, the floods we see today will be only the beginning—and the monster of climate change will not stop until it has swallowed our future.