Pakistan’s 2025 floods displaced millions, with Punjab alone seeing over 4.2 million people affected and nearly 70,000 forced into relief camps. When climate disasters strike, those already living in precarity are made more vulnerable. For families in the districts of Jhang and Chiniot, the floods brought immediate destruction, and triggered long-term vulnerabilities: the loss of electricity, clean water, and the basic connectivity necessary to allow education, work, and access to community. 

Flood-affected families in Jhang and Chiniot waiting for and receiving aid. Courtesy: Nasreen Dad Trust

At Digital Rights Foundation, we believe in building lasting resilience. The destruction wrought by climate disasters is indiscriminate, and with rapidly evolving climate patterns, it has become necessary to build systems that centre communities, and ensure those most vulnerable have continued access to electricity, connectivity, and clean water – especially during times of crisis. In September 2025, we signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding with the Pakistan Solar Association to restore electricity, and with it, digital access, to some of Pakistan’s hardest-hit flood zones. 

PSA-DRF MOU signing, September 2025

The partnership was designed to deliver solar-powered energy hubs to communities, and the initial leg of the project saw the installation of a solar-powered, ultra filtration drinking water plant installed in Baqir Abad, Sheikhan, in the district of Chiniot.

DRF-PSA ultra filtration drinking water plant installed in Sheikhan, with help from our local partner, Nasreen Dad Trust.

Beyond technological solutions, DRF’s commitment to building resilience has led to collaborations with partners on the ground to provide targeted relief to climate disaster survivors. In partnership with the Nasreen Dad Trust, over 1500 flood affectees in Sheikhan, Kalri, and Natho Shah Jhalaar were attended to at free medical camps, while hundreds of families received over 800 Dignity Kits and monthly rations including basic necessities. 

Affected families receiving kits and rations. Courtesy: Nasreen Dad Trust.

In partnership with Housing Innovation Lab, we also supported the construction of five eco-friendly model houses for flood affectees in Jhang, to ensure communities can build better and implement sustainable solutions in the face of climate disasters. 

Model house constructed in Jhang. Courtesy: Housing Innovation Lab.

As climate threats come to a head, building sustainable, preemptive solutions is necessary to protect those most vulnerable. The 2025 floods impacted those already at a disadvantage: women, young people, and those experiencing financial precarity spent months without electricity or internet, and faced isolation from education, work, and critical information. DRF also partnered with WISE – Women in Struggle for Empowerment – to provide psychosocial support to affectees facing physical and emotional turmoil due to loss and hardship in the wake of the catastrophe.  

Support circle organised by WISE, in partnership with Digital Rights Foundation and Nasreen Dad Trust; Courtesy: WISE.

Our resolve for climate resilience seeks to ensure a renewable, reliable lifeline, ensuring that connectivity and technology are not casualties of climate disaster. Beyond immediate relief, we’re committed to laying the groundwork for expansion to help survivors regain agency, access markets, and most importantly, rebuild their lives with dignity, both materially and emotionally.