ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's weather forecasting and early-warning capabilities have been strengthened through cooperation with the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), with China's AI-powered MAZU system helping meteorologists issue more timely and informed warnings for extreme weather events.
The system is proving particularly important for Pakistan, where agriculture remains highly dependent on weather conditions and communities in flood-prone areas face recurring risks from extreme weather.
Riaz Hussain, a farmer from Talagang district in Punjab, said he had suffered financial losses in previous years when rainfall disrupted wheat harvesting. This year, however, he regularly followed forecasts and advisories issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) and adjusted his farming activities accordingly.
Hussain said the timely weather information helped him avoid substantial losses during the harvesting season. His experience has also encouraged other farmers in his village to seek meteorological guidance while planning agricultural activities, including the cultivation and harvesting of peanut crops.
In Balochistan's Naseerabad district, early warnings proved potentially life-saving for resident Rustom Baloch. After receiving a PMD warning that his home was located in a flood-prone area, he evacuated his family and shifted valuable belongings to a safer location before flash floods struck.
Although he suffered financial losses, Baloch said the warning provided crucial time to take precautionary measures and protect his family.
According to PMD officials, cooperation between the CMA and PMD has strengthened Pakistan's forecasting and early-warning capabilities, with MAZU serving as an integrated platform for accessing and analysing weather information.
Furrukh Bashir, Director of the Research and Development Division at PMD, said the system brings observational data, numerical weather prediction models, satellite information and artificial intelligence together on a single platform.
This integration, he said, streamlines the work of meteorologists and enables them to produce faster and better-informed forecasts and early warnings.
MAZU, China's homegrown AI-powered meteorological early-warning system, is being used in more than 40 countries, including Pakistan, which was among its early recipients. The system has reportedly been operational in Pakistan for about one and a half years.
Pakistani meteorologists have also received training at universities in China to operate the system, while Pakistani scientists participated in its co-development.
Bashir said MAZU provides access to international forecasting models from different sources while integrating information generated by PMD, giving Pakistani meteorologists a broader view of developing weather conditions and assisting them in making decisions about significant weather changes and warnings.
The collaboration between Pakistan and China has also expanded scientific exchanges, professional training and joint development of meteorological systems.
PMD Acting Director General Zaheer Ahmad Babar said the China Meteorological Administration has been assisting developing countries in strengthening meteorological knowledge and capabilities as part of broader efforts to improve early-warning systems.
He said improved meteorological capabilities could help vulnerable communities better understand weather patterns, take preventive measures, protect lives and livelihoods, and build greater resilience against extreme weather events.
For Pakistan, timely and accurate warnings can have wide-ranging implications — allowing authorities to prepare communities ahead of dangerous weather, enabling families in flood-prone areas to evacuate in time and helping farmers make better decisions to protect their crops and livelihoods.
