The recent tragic deaths of tourists stranded by flash floods in the River Swat were not simply the result of an unforgiving act of nature - they were a direct consequence of institutional failure. They speak volumes about the continued gaps in disaster governance in Pakistan. This was not the first time we've witnessed such a preventable tragedy, and unfortunately, unless serious reforms are undertaken, it will not be the last.

Years ago, in an article titled "Flood (Mis)management", I had outlined the critical fault-lines in our disaster response framework. I had warned that unless we treat disasters not as isolated events but as symptoms of poor governance, we will continue to mourn needless losses. Sadly, that warning remains more relevant than ever.

Disaster management is not an optional add-on to governance - it is its core component. From risk identification and early warning systems to long-term planning and community education, effective disaster management requires constant attention, investment, and most of all, political will. Unfortunately, what we witness instead is a pattern of reaction rather than preparation, damage control rather than mitigation, and rhetoric rather than reform.

The framework of disaster governance rests on four interrelated pillars: preparedness, prevention, mitigation and community mobilisation. In the case of the recent Swat floods, each of these was absent.

To begin with, there was no early warning issued to tourists or locals about the risks of flash floods in the area, despite predictable........

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