AI-powered alert system brings life-saving disaster warnings to Pakistan’s deaf community
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ConnectHear, a social enterprise promoting disability inclusion, in collaboration with a telecom giant, on Wednesday launched an artificial intelligence-powered early warning system designed to deliver life-saving alerts in sign language to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
The system, called SUNO — meaning “listen” in Urdu — is funded by the GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation Fund and aims to close a critical gap in disaster communication by ensuring deaf individuals receive real-time alerts during emergencies such as floods and earthquakes.
Pakistan is among the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, facing recurring floods, earthquakes and heatwaves that endanger millions each year. More than 1,700 people were killed in the catastrophic 2022 floods, which submerged a third of the country and displaced over 8 million others, according to official figures. Floods this year have killed over 1,000 people and displaced millions.
In such crises, emergency warnings can mean the difference between life and death, yet people with disabilities are often excluded from mainstream alert systems. Initiatives like SUNO aim to bridge that gap, ensuring that every citizen, regardless of ability, can receive timely, life-saving information during disasters.
