The agriculture sector finds no respite — its challenges continue to mount. Climate change has altered the monsoon rainfall pattern. Intense downpours lasting only a few hours have replaced the light spells that typically stretched over several days in the past.

Sheikhupura (Punjab) experienced a one-day downpour of 217 mm (nine inches) recently on July 16, 2025. Likewise, on August 1, 2024, Lahore was lashed by a record-breaking rainfall of 337 millimetres (13 inches) in just a few hours. To top it all, the number of days with rainfall above 100 mm has significantly risen.

As a direct consequence of this new pattern, the recent heavy rains have left vast areas of cultivated land submerged for days in several districts of Punjab as natural waterways failed to carry the rainwater away. In the past, the issue of standing water was observed in several districts of Sindh and southern Punjab, particularly following the devastating floods of 2010 and 2022, as well as after episodes of heavy rainfall in certain years.

However, this time, the phenomenon is unfolding — perhaps for the first time and quite unexpectedly — in multiple districts of central Punjab. The standing water has devastated crops, particularly those that are very sensitive to waterlogged conditions, such as sesame and cotton. This loss has further worsened the plight of farmers, who are already challenged by fragile farm economics due to soaring input costs, declining crop yields, and falling........

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