Recharge Pakistan: Building Pakistan’s Resilience to Climate Change through Ecosystem-Based Adaptation for Integrated Flood Risk Management

The 'Recharge Pakistan' project is a 10-year initiative (2020-2030) designed to shift Pakistan's flood management from a reliance on 'grey' hard-infrastructure to 'green' ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA). With an indicative total cost of USD 150 million, the project aims to reduce flood risk and enhance groundwater recharge at six selected sites along a 1,300km stretch of the Indus River. The project targets direct benefits for 10 million people and indirect benefits for 20 million others by restoring wetlands, managing hill torrents, and diversifying community livelihoods. It is led by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as the Accredited Entity, with the Federal Flood Commission and the Ministry of Climate Change serving as executing entities.

• Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate change, ranking 8th globally on the Long-Term Climate Risk Index (1998-2017), with recent disaster losses totaling USD 3.8 billion in Purchasing Power Parity terms.
• The Indus Basin faces severe water stress, with per capita water availability at 964 m3 per annum, and projections suggest the country will reach 'absolute scarcity' water levels by 2025.
• Climate projections for the Indus Basin indicate a temperature rise of 3–5°C by 2060, with warming accelerated at high elevations, which will impact snow and glacial melt.
• Existing flood management in Pakistan relies heavily on costly hard-infrastructure ('grey infrastructure') that has limited efficacy and high maintenance costs due to heavy sediment loads reducing storage capacity.
• The project aims to implement EbA interventions across 14,000 square kilometres of flood bypasses and wetland restoration sites, adding an estimated 3-4 million acre-feet of water retention capacity.
• Watershed and hill torrent management will cover 40,000 square kilometres, with the expectation that 25% more rainwater will be retained through these protection interventions.
• The project intends to provide direct benefits to 10 million people (approximately 5% of the population) and indirect benefits to 20 million people across 50 vulnerable districts.
• The total indicative project cost is USD 150 million, with USD 50 million requested as a grant from the Green Climate Fund and USD 100 million in co-financing from the Government of Pakistan and other partners.
• A primary goal is to create a paradigm shift by mainstreaming EbA into national and provincial regulatory frameworks, including the National Water Policy and National Flood Protection Plan IV.
• The project targets the empowerment of vulnerable rural women, who have more limited access to resources and decision-making, through skills-based training and climate-resilient livelihood options.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2019). Recharge Pakistan: Building Pakistan’s Resilience to Climate Change through Ecosystem-Based Adaptation for Integrated Flood Risk Management. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/22620-recharge-pakistan-building-pakistan-s-resilience-climate-change-through-ecosystem-based.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Recharge Pakistan: Building Pakistan’s Resilience to Climate Change through Ecosystem-Based Adaptation for Integrated Flood Risk Management. 2019. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/22620-recharge-pakistan-building-pakistan-s-resilience-climate-change-through-ecosystem-based.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Recharge Pakistan: Building Pakistan’s Resilience to Climate Change through Ecosystem-Based Adaptation for Integrated Flood Risk Management |date=19 August 2019 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/22620-recharge-pakistan-building-pakistan-s-resilience-climate-change-through-ecosystem-based.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2019recharge, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Recharge Pakistan: Building Pakistan’s Resilience to Climate Change through Ecosystem-Based Adaptation for Integrated Flood Risk Management}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2019}, month = aug, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/22620-recharge-pakistan-building-pakistan-s-resilience-climate-change-through-ecosystem-based.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }