Pakistan climate ministry proposes Rs40m wetland and flood resilience programme for Punjab

Pakistan's Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination has proposed a Rs40 million (about $144,000) programme to use wetlands as natural flood buffers in Punjab. The plan, listed in the World Bank's FY2026-FY2035 Country Partnership Framework pipeline, would map over 250 wetland sites and bring 90,000 to 110,000 hectares under active management or protection over three years. Projected outcomes include 50 to 75 billion litres of natural flood storage and 300,000 to 500,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent sequestered annually. It would also restore three existing Ramsar sites, identify 8 to 10 new protected areas, and prepare three more Ramsar submissions. Punjab EPA would lead implementation with support from forestry, wildlife, irrigation, fisheries and PDMA. The proposal remains at the conceptual stage, so funding and delivery timelines are not confirmed. If it moves forward, it would be a practical test of nature-based climate adaptation in a province that faces repeated flood risk.