PAKISTAN is confronting a complex and protracted humanitarian crisis driven by a convergence of poverty, climate change, rapid population growth, and structural inequalities.

Recurrent natural disasters, including floods, droughts, heatwaves, and earthquakes, have repeatedly displaced communities and destroyed livelihoods, leaving millions in need of humanitarian assistance. According to national and international assessments, large segments of the population continue to struggle with food insecurity, limited access to clean drinking water, inadequate healthcare, and disrupted education systems particularly in rural and marginalized regions. Climate change has emerged as one of the most severe threat multipliers for Pakistan. The country is among the most climate-vulnerable in the world, despite contributing minimally to global carbon emissions. Erratic rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts, and catastrophic flooding have severely affected agriculture, which remains the primary source of livelihood for a significant portion of the population. Rural districts in Sindh, Balochistan, and southern Punjab have been especially hard hit, where water scarcity, land degradation, and crop losses continue to push families deeper into poverty.

Access to clean and safe drinking water remains a critical humanitarian concern. Millions of Pakistanis rely on contaminated water sources, leading to widespread waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, and hepatitis conditions that disproportionately affect children and women. In arid regions like Tharparkar, Sukkur, Khairpur and Jacobabad the lack of reliable water infrastructure forces communities to travel long distances for water, increasing health risks and reducing time for education and income-generating activities. In this context, humanitarian and development organizations play a crucial role in bridging........

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