ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national space agency SUPARCO is using satellite mapping and real-time imagery to help guide rescue and relief operations, officials said on Friday, as monsoon floods have devastated much of the country, killing over 800 people since the beginning of the season and destroying farms and livestock.

The agency established its Space Application Center for Response in Emergency and Disasters (SACRED) in 2014 to provide space-based support for natural disasters, from floods and droughts to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), earthquakes and landslides. With extreme weather striking more frequently, SACRED is now central to disaster management planning across the country.

Speaking to Arab News on Friday, a SUPARCO official explained that satellites serve as the “country’s eyes in the sky,” capturing and monitoring areas cut off by rough terrain or extreme weather, and delivering crucial information, and satellite mapping to track and respond to the unfolding disaster.

“We [SUPARCO] provide real-time imagery of the affected flood area to different institutions at the national level and provincial level,” Jahanzeb Khan, General Manager Image Processing at SUPARCO told Arab News.

“The rapid response is very important. We capture satellite images of flood-hit areas in near real time and send them to the relevant departments within an hour to speed up rescue operations and save lives,” he said, adding that pre-disaster images are also compared with fresh ones to provide critical insights, helping authorities act faster on the ground.

Aisha Rabbia, General Manager Satellite Planning, said the agency constantly monitors river shifts, dam heights, and changing water levels through its own satellites and international collaboration for timely action.

“We now have four remote sensing satellites of our own that provide real-time data, and through international collaboration we get additional recordings as well,” she said.

The official explained that space-based imagery enabled authorities to draw up timely evacuation plans even if conventional communication networks fail, as SUPARCO operates its own independent link system.

“Even in case of a complete communication breakdown, our satellites ensure the flow of critical data to the relevant departments,” she added.

Rabbia said the agency supports post-disaster recovery by helping assess crop losses, guiding urban planning in hard-hit areas, and aiding rehabilitation efforts through satellite analysis.

“Space-based technology shortens the response time as work that normally takes a day is done in hours,” she continued. “We capture imagery both day and night, without limitation. So, damage assessment and recovery planning can begin immediately.”

She said weather satellites were not in SPARCO’s resources, but they would be available soon since they were included in an upcoming plan.

Another official, Dr. Muhammad Farooq, Director SACRED, stressed the need to shift from a reactive to a proactive approach, saying SUPARCO has recently developed a Disaster Risk Assessment initiative for the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF), known as the Natural Catastrophic Modeling Project, or simply the NatCat Project. 

“This flagship initiative of NDRMF helps disaster managers identify the most vulnerable or high-risk areas so they can take preventive measures and reduce potential damage through better planning,” he added.
SUPARCO currently operates six satellites, including two for communication and four for earth observation (EO).

“With two more EO satellites due to be launched by the end of this year, SUPARCO will be in an even stronger position to provide satellite data for national institutions, including disaster management agencies,” Farooq said.

The flood emergency, fueled by torrential monsoon rains and excess water released from upstream dams in India, has made Punjab, the country’s breadbasket and home to over half of Pakistan’s 240 million people, one of the worst-hit regions.

The disaster officials reported 20 deaths in the province this week, more than 429,000 people evacuated, and 1,769 villages inundated affecting 1.45 million people.