The study, conducted by Pattan Development Organisation and Coalition-38, assessed rehabilitation, disaster preparedness, and public perceptions of government policies in flood-affected communities. Researchers surveyed 140 households across 35 severely affected settlements in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the findings, many of the government s commitments regarding housing reconstruction, livelihood restoration, and community infrastructure remain unfulfilled. As a result, many flood survivors are entering the current monsoon season with limited resources and reduced capacity to cope with future disasters.
The survey found significant inequality in the recovery process. While a small number of households reportedly received sufficient compensation and successfully rebuilt their homes, the majority continue to face damaged housing, loss of income, mounting debt, and depleted assets.
Many respondents claimed that compensation was distributed on the basis of political influence and local connections rather than genuine need, suggesting that existing social and economic inequalities have shaped the recovery process.
The report also noted that post-disaster rehabilitation programmes may have inadvertently strengthened the influence of local elites, allowing wealthier and more influential groups to benefit disproportionately, while poorer families continue to struggle with unemployment, housing insecurity, declining assets, and limited access to essential services.
More than three-quarters of respondents said they received little or no meaningful assistance from government institutions. Nearly 79% reported being poorer than they were before the floods, while fewer than 7% said they had fully restored their homes, livelihoods, or assets.
Only 20 of the 140 surveyed households reported receiving government compensation. More than two-thirds of families were unable to fully repair or rebuild their homes, while 57% said they had experienced no meaningful recovery of their livelihoods.
Additionally, 42% of respondents reported no significant recovery from their overall losses, and more than 40% estimated it would take between five and ten years to regain their pre-flood economic condition.
Climate change was identified by more than 90% of respondents as the primary factor behind increasingly frequent and severe flooding. At the same time, most participants expressed dissatisfaction with government preparedness and climate adaptation measures designed to reduce disaster risks.
The survey also highlighted the absence of effective community-level disaster preparedness mechanisms. Respondents reported that early warning systems, evacuation plans, and local disaster risk reduction programmes were either unavailable or ineffective during the floods.
Researchers further raised concerns over declining access to safe drinking water, environmental degradation, and falling public trust in government institutions. Many flood survivors said they relied more on relatives, friends, and local community networks than on government agencies or international organisations during the crisis.
The survey recommends strengthening community-based disaster preparedness programmes, ensuring transparency in compensation and relief distribution, expanding digital systems to reduce corruption, improving social accountability, empowering local governments, and investing in renewable energy as part of long-term climate resilience.
The report concludes that rehabilitation efforts have fallen short of addressing the needs of Pakistan s most vulnerable communities. One year after the floods, many survivors remain trapped in poverty, debt, and uncertainty.
Researchers warned that as climate change continues to intensify extreme weather events, rehabilitation must move beyond short-term humanitarian assistance and become part of a comprehensive strategy focused on climate adaptation, social protection, and disaster resilience.
The survey also noted that although the government has acknowledged the growing economic and social risks posed by climate change, visible preparedness measures remain limited in flood-prone areas ahead of the current monsoon season. It warned that without urgent action to close recovery gaps and strengthen disaster preparedness, communities already devastated by last year s floods could once again face the greatest burden of Pakistan s climate crisis.
