AN ASSESSMENT OF GOVERNANCE AND CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA: A CASE STUDY OF DISTRICT BUNER

Abstract

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is among the most climate-vulnerable provinces of Pakistan, and within it, District Buner has emerged as a focal point of recurrent flood disasters, most recently the catastrophic cloudburst-induced flash floods of August 2025. This paper examines the relationship between governance structures and climate change adaptation in Buner, asking whether the institutional architecture established under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013, and the provincial Climate Change Policy 2022 translates into effective local adaptation. Using a qualitative, document-based case-study design that draws on government policy documents, disaster statistics, demographic census data, and the multi-level governance literature on climate adaptation, the study finds that Buner’s adaptation deficit stems less from an absence of policy than from weak vertical coordination between federal, provincial, and district tiers; limited fiscal and technical capacity at the local government level; environmental degradation linked to deforestation and unregulated marble mining; and a persistent gap between policy formulation and field implementation. The paper situates these findings within multi-level governance theory and recommends catchment-based coordination, climate-budget tagging, accelerated early-warning investment, stronger mining and land-use regulation, and empowered local government institutions as priorities for strengthening adaptive governance in Buner and similarly exposed districts of KP.