essay on flood in pakistan pdf

REVIEW article

Floods and flood management and its socio-economic impact on pakistan: a review of the empirical literature.

• 1 Department of Govt and Public Policy, Faculty of Contemporary Studies, National Defence University, Islamabad, Pakistan
• 2 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Bahria University, Islamabad, Pakistan
• 3 School of Economics, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
• 4 Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan
• 5 School of Public Administration, Xiangtan University, Hunan, China
• 6 School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
• 7 The Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
• 8 Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco
• 9 MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre—Sedimentary Geology Group, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

Flood is one of the most damaging natural disasters as the recent floods have shown their serious impact on Pakistan. Flood control and regulation policies are essential to reduce the risks of economic downturn, a threat to human existence, and to sustain the ecology. The severity of flood catastrophe activities represents a constant and severe issue in the world. Floods are rising year by year in severity and duration, causing negative impacts on the social and economic conditions of the nation concerned. While the frequency of floods cannot be avoided, their adverse impacts can be considerably reduced by adopting careful planning and efficient training. This paper reviews the socioeconomic impact of floods, and the existing condition of flood control policies outlines the flood protection problems and discusses opportunities for successful and efficient flood control in Pakistan. The paper also intends to propose several suggestions for efficient and sustainable flood control in Pakistan.

1 Introduction

Floods are one of the major sources of anthropological and ecological destruction. It affects the socio-economic conditions, worsens public health, generates unemployment, damages the ecosystem, etc. ( Allaire, 2018 ; Parida, 2019 ). Currently, public and private institutions are struggling to formulate and evaluate risk management and adjustment strategies, involving systems for flood prevention and advance alerts with urbanization patterns and land use planning under consideration in the wake of urban flooding. One major reason is the land adjudication and administration system of Pakistan is colonial in nature and lacks judicial augmentation, providing a chance for flawed urbanization ( Shafi et al., 2022 ). However, policymakers face substantial hiccups in the mitigation of natural disasters’ aftermath globally. In this wake, countries with stable economic structures and administration have reported fewer mortalities and lower socioeconomic damages as compared to developing countries ( Anbarci et al., 2005 ; Kahn, 2005 ).

Certain approaches are utilized to manage floods and mitigate their aftermath. Here, Effective Risk Avoidance involves a detailed understanding of the effects of floods on the public, the economy, and the efficiency of disaster management strategies. The realistic approaches focus on the potential risks and benefits analysis. Currently, prevention approaches are often decided based on active expert analysis of floods. However, cost-benefit analysis is seldom used in mitigation planning, possibly because of insufficient empirical evidence on a broad range of types of losses. Government and non-governmental sectors also transfer their resources from production to restoration and rehabilitation practices which slow down the growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and overall Human Development Index (HDI) ( Sadia et al., 2013 ; Isik et al., 2021 ).

The South-Asian Subcontinent, with The Great Himalaya Glaciers, remains at primary risk. Though currently, the rainy season remains the major reason for the flooding in the region the presence of glaciers and the rise in average temperature remain a permanent threat to the region. Floods are the most common natural disaster in the region with 40% occurrence rate ( Chaudhry, 2017 ). Furthermore, urban flooding reasoned by solid waste management and decreases in urban vegetation has affected 9.6 million people in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, with 6.8 million from India only. South Asia floods: 9.6 million people swamped as humanitarian crisis deepens ( IFRC, 2020 ).

It has been observed that the average global temperature has been rising at a higher rate since 1980. Due to this glaciers are melting rapidly, generating glacial lakes and associated hazards. Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) are extremely destructive because of large volumes of water flowing in narrow river channels. The greatest number of GLOFs, out of all the natural disasters that have occurred worldwide, have been reported in Central Asia ( Carrivick and Tweed, 2016 ; Nie et al., 2017 ; Mohanty and Maiti, 2021 ). Global warming as the sole reason GLOFS, the Hindukush-Karakoram-Himalaya regions of Pakistan, which contribute more than 50% of the entire flow of the Indus River System (a major water system), has observed a higher melting rate of glaciers. This condition has led to an increase in the frequency of glacial-related hazards in this Himalayan region. GLOFs which are either caused by the sudden failure of the “dams,” or in the absence of the dams release huge volumes of water and debris wreak havoc downstream. GLOFs have the potential to massively harm people living in the Himalayan region, especially Indus River Basin ( Ashraf et al., 2012 ; Ashraf et al., 2021 ; Ahmad et al., 2022 ).

Achieving sustainability in the country in terms of economic, social, political, and environmental issues is discussed more thoroughly nowadays because the phenomena of globalization as well as global warming are based to meet today’s requirements without compromising the ability of future generations ( Işık et al., 2021 ). The rising CO2 emission worldwide will be rising government spending as the result increases real GDP per capita. So, state policymakers are trying to limit or minimize CO2 emissions ( Işık et al., 2022 ). Pakistan is among the most vulnerable countries to floods and water-related disasters as Pakistan has the most glaciers outside the arctic circle. The climate changes and monsoon season have significant impacts on socio-economic degradation, specifically on agricultural production and livestock. The regular occurrence of flood catastrophes affects different regions of Pakistan (See Table 1 ). Floods are expensive environmental disasters, leading to property and agricultural land destruction. Floods are typically short-lived occurrences that can occur with a tiny alert ( Commission, 2007 ). Pakistan has experienced an unprecedented increase in floods in the last 20 years. Fifty-four (54) floods of differing intensity hit Pakistan, placing it 10th on Global Environment Risk Index ( Kreft et al., 2015 ; Rehman et al., 2015 ; Sardar et al., 2016 ). Pakistan is positioned within a hazard-prone region and is bare to a variety of natural catastrophes like floods ( Rafiq and Blaschke, 2012 ). The past of the region’s flooding is relatively lengthy. Many significantly disastrous floods caused considerable harm to economic development. Table 2 provides the history of floods in terms of losses incurred. Each flood is caused by heavy rainfall in the Indus River catchments and its main tributaries ( GoP Annual Flood Report, 2017 ). According to the World Health Organization (WHO) twenty (20) million residents in seventy-eight (78) areas were affected by 2010 floods, taking one thousand eight hundred (1800) life’s, causing damage, or destruction of nearly two million houses with a cumulative cost of $9.7 billion. Public infrastructure i.e., roads, bridges, hospitals, schools etc. , were immensely affected, deteriorating accessibility to health, education and mobility resulting in poverty, deprivation, and psychological and social trauma necessitating rehabilitation and restoration ( Sardar et al., 2016 ).

TABLE 1 . Most vulnerable districts of Pakistan for flood and flash flood ( NDMA, 2019 ).

TABLE 2 . Historical flood damages in Pakistan (period 1950–2017) ( GoP Annual Flood Report, 2017 ).

There are typically five forms of flooding frequently occurring in the country, such as flash floods, river floods, tidal floods, marine floods, and pluvial floods. The heavy rainfall in canals’ catchment areas triggers pluvial floods of canals or dams, and water goes out towards the dry land and affects the area ( Yaqub et al., 2015 ). Main floods in Pakistan are linked with the low depression monsoon rainfalls that form in the Bay of Bengal and spread west/northwest through India to Pakistan ( Kronstadt, 2010 ). Apart from Monsoon rains, meltdown of glaciers causes flashfloods in hilly areas rendering massive destruction. However, urban flooding is solely related to monsoon rains and unplanned urbanization restricting drainage passages and encroachments. Furthermore, coastal floods are mostly caused by tropical storms in South-East Sindh and Makran regions ( Yaqub et al., 2015 ). Pakistan faces severe floods from July to September period owing to heavy monsoon rains in all the regions of Pakistan inundating the Indus River Basin. Hydrologically, the region can be categorized into three main divisions: Indus Basin, Kharan Basin, and Makran Coastal Drainage Zone. Such basin’s flooding features differ significantly and require a detailed understanding ( Tariq and van de Giesen, 2012 ). The flood hazard map indicates the most vulnerable districts of Pakistan with major river systems (developed after ( NDMA, 2019 ) as shown in Figure 1 . A topographic map of Pakistan with recent flood events is shown in Figure 2 . The list of the most vulnerable districts of Pakistan concerning Flood and Flash Flood is shown in Table 1 . The geographical distribution of Pakistan’s 2010 floods’ direct and indirect damages is shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 respectively.

FIGURE 1 . Flood hazard map indicates the most vulnerable districts of Pakistan with a major river system map developed after ( NDMA, 2019 ).

FIGURE 2 . Topographic map of Pakistan with recent flood events (Source: ESRI topographic layer used).

FIGURE 3 . Geographical distribution of Pakistan’s 2010 floods direct damages; Source: Pakistan floods 2010 preliminary damage and needs assessment ( Asian Development Bank, 2010 ).

FIGURE 4 . Geographical distribution of Pakistan’s 2010 floods indirect damages; Source: Pakistan floods 2010 preliminary damage and needs assessment ( Asian Development Bank, 2010 ).

Global Warming and climate change are serious issues, concerning Pakistan. Our article represents the impact of global warming and climate change. As evident the cloud bursting phenomenon is quite new for Pakistan, the same is the case with Glacier Bursts. Keeping floods as the focal point of the study we maintain this proposition that climate change is one of the primary reasons for wreaking havoc in Pakistan. With this background, this article examines the recent and emerging developments in catastrophe situations to evaluate the effects of floods on the socio-economic conditions of the higher flood-risk areas. The purpose of this study is to assess the socioeconomic cost of floods and to strengthen flood control policies in Pakistan, which is a resource-limited and vastly populated developing nation, and highly dependent on the agricultural sector. The paper utilizes a literature synthesis approach, extracting data from various resources ranging from published articles to government documents. Moreover, ESRI topographic layer was used to develop a topographic map of Pakistan. The study emphasizes that exploration of flood mitigation criteria is also needed as the floods in the country are becoming more regular and severe.

2 Material and methodology

This study reviews the existing literature on the flood, flood management, and socioeconomic cost in Pakistan focusing on riverine and extreme floods (2010). The theoretical framework of the study is shown in Figure 5 .

FIGURE 5 . Theoretical framework of the study.

The present study compiled and comprehensively analyzed numerous scientific and analytical reports, scholarly articles relevant to flood management studies, economic surveys of Pakistan, and other relevant reports released by different scholarly, consulting, and consultant institutions to extract and synthesize main studies on floods and flood management in Pakistan. A comprehensive empirical literature review was performed by using Google Scholar and a related search engine. The literature that has the greatest relevance to Pakistan was cited. The study also reported crucial findings and suggestions.

The past research suggests various review methods, empirical analysis, and meta-analysis ( Toya and Skidmore, 2007 ; Jonkman et al., 2008 ; McMullen and Lytle, 2012 ). The studies aim to create an empirical link by collecting data such as the impact of floods on GDP ( Kirigia et al., 2004 ; Rufat et al., 2015 ). But in the case of Pakistan, the data available is insufficient to either adopt or develop any complicated method, however empirical analysis of the facts and figures provided through reports, government documents, and policy papers, and correlate these with studies reviewed. The focus of this study remains to provide insight into the flood problem by reviewing it through data synthesis and textual analysis approach, which will access the impacts of floods. This study will establish an understanding of the importance of the topic, where impact analysis will ensure the need for extended studies conducted in the Netherlands and Africa ( Kirigia et al., 2004 ; Jonkman et al., 2008 ).

3 Floods and their impacts

Our study will steer through past research which includes a broad range of topics concerning measuring the impact of floods i.e., agriculture and livestock, impact on human health, the economic cost of floods, flood forecasting, flood warning mechanisms, and flood management.

As, the recent floods have devastated the country, and have inundated more than 40% of Pakistan, we can only speculate the losses in wholistic terms. It has been recorded that more than 30 million people have been displaced, with most parts of the Sindh province remaining under imminent threat. So currently, the estimates can only be compared in terms of Macro losses, like no. of people migrated, an area inundated, infrastructure destruction, etc. but the exact figures will remain ambiguous. As far as the scale and scope of the current flood are concerned, we can only conclude this fact that it has immensely damaged the country as compared to the flood of 2010.

3.1 Impact on agriculture and livestock

The impact of the flood on the agriculture sector can be divided into the following six categories: 1) Livestock evacuation in an urgent situation; 2) Avoidance of spring field exposure, allowing livestock to be sheltered or moved to certain other flood-free places; 3) Harm to crop and grass productivity in worst-affected areas with massive loss of pasture 4) Driven production loss and affected the performance of cultivation and agricultural land; 5) Destroyed irrigation structures and facilities at the farm; 6) Loss of advantageous soil invertebrates, in particular earthworms, elevated risk of animal disease, including infection of liver fluke ( Morris and Brewin, 2014 ). As agriculture remains the largest sector of Pakistan’s economy, employing 43 percent of the population, its yearly contribution to the GDP period 1969–2011 is shown in Figure 6 .

FIGURE 6 . Agriculture sector’s contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) period 2011–2019 (Economic Survey of Pakistan 2018–2019) ( Gop Pakistan Economic Survey, 2019 ).

Climate change typically has minor effects on the world food supply, but the consequences of climate change are widely distributed unevenly. Low-income economies, such as those in South Asia and Africa, experienced most of the casualties. By taking the data from 1989 to 2015 and by using the Feasible General Least Square (FGLS) model ( Ali et al., 2017 ) studied the climate changes impact on Pakistan’s major crop yields. The results showed that except for wheat, the impact of rainfall on the production of any other selected crop is negative ( Iqbal et al., 2018 ). Evaluated the impact of Pakistan’s 2010 flood on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s agriculture sector and found that after the flood, the family income of agricultural labor dropped, resultantly, in the usage of chemical fertilizers and other agricultural inputs also declined. The floods have adversely affected agricultural output where there was a considerable fall in wheat, maize, and sugar cane output. In Pakistan, the floods and heavy rains have not only affected agriculture crops, livestock, and forests but also devastated necessary facilities such as tube wells, domestic water storage facilities, animal shelters, private seeds inventories/pesticides, and agricultural equipment ( Iqbal et al., 2018 ). Baluchistan and KPK experienced mostly heavy rains, while Punjab and Sindh experienced mostly slow-rising floods on the canal. 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014s floods damaged residential and agricultural properties, livestock, and crops. ( Ashraf et al., 2013 ). proposed that floods made food shortages and food insecurity for the citizens as they had to utilize polluted resources, particularly water.

Due to the 2010s flood, the agriculture industry has suffered a total loss of about Rs. 429 billion. For example, the profitability of cotton production decreased to 11.76 million bales as compared to the expected production of 14 million bales. Rates of the inputs of agricultural products such as urea, and chemicals, diesel had increased dramatically ( Bukhari and Rizvi, 2017 ). According to ( Rehman et al., 2015 ), twenty percent of the country’s overall landmass was inundated, affected by the 2010s flood, with cumulative damages of above USD 10 billion. The agriculture sector’s contribution to GDP is shown in Table 3 showing a significant decrease in the fiscal year 2010–11.

TABLE 3 . Agriculture sector’s contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) period 1969–2011 (Economic survey of Pakistan, 2010–2011) ( GoP Economic Survey, 2011 ).

The flood caused the loss of millions of livestock including around 200,000 dead in the 2010 flood in Pakistan. The final number of losses was higher. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced that after the disaster, millions of surviving animals were confronting a food shortage situation that was alarming. The call for 5.7 million dollars has been made by UNO for emergency assistance for livestock. However, funds of 1.4 million dollars have been mobilized by FAO to secure feedstuff and the healthcare of livestock. Currently, the full scale and scope of the catastrophe are not clear, which will require more resource allocations once the situation becomes clearer ( Deen, 2015 ).

3.2 Impact on human health

Floods pose an enormous challenge to the healthcare system and its efficacy. For example, it can damage access to drinkable water by infiltrating the aquifers, thus increasing the transmission of waterborne diseases. The health concerns are classified as direct and indirect. Where direct effects arise from deep water and flooding penetration, including death, debris injury, environmental pollution, and hypothermia. Indirect effects include threats related to the water disruption to the natural and physical environment, including communicable diseases, obesity, famine-related diseases, and displaced population-related diseases. The number of people affected by the different diseases by the 2010’s flood is shown in Figure 7 ( Ahern et al., 2005 ; Du et al., 2010 ).

FIGURE 7 . Number of people affected by the different diseases by the 2010’s flood ( GoP, 2011 ).

The floods’ health effects could also be categorized as instantaneous medium and long-term. Flooding can also develop a high number of breeding grounds for insect and infection-borne diseases such as malaria. There have been various reports of increased risk throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America in historically tropical countries. Public medical professionals and relief workers also warn after natural disasters that the dead bodies of affected people can trigger disease outbreaks such as cholera. The anxiety induced by such statements enables societies, local governments, and institutions to dispose of affected people quickly without identification. This leads to psychological stress for family members alive and causes legal issues including land, insurance claims, and inherited wealth ( Kondo et al., 2002 ; Morgan et al., 2005 ).

Reacher et al. (2004) evaluated the impact of floods on public health by taking the data of massive floods for the period of 12 October 2000 in the region of Lewes in the south of England. They found that floods are linked with an earache, psychological distress, and gastroenteritis. Psychological damage may illustrate some of the additional physical illnesses recorded by affected people, and likely even by children. Strategies to encourage the adaptation of the community to disasters, where flood management has deteriorated will provide logistical assistance for flood victims and adequate therapeutic help. However, in Bangladesh, studies conducted on the causes and spread of diarrhea at the expense of flooding. It highlighted the important demographic, economic, and social aspects from the preview of amenities provided by the system and how the provision of food and clean drinking water becomes essential during and after flooding ( Kunii et al., 2002 ).

The prevalence of diarrheal disease and its associated epidemiological factors were examined by ( Mondal et al., 2001 ), by applying a systematic random sampling analysis on the data of two identified flood-prone regions in West Bengal’s Midnapur area. The research found the diarrheal disease to be the most severe morbidity in flood-prone communities. Some habits, such as using pond water for utensil washing and cooking purposes, hand washing after soap-less defecation, inadequate washing hands before feeding, open area defecation, storing of drinkable water in large mouth containers, etc. , were found to be correlated with increased diarrhea attack levels, both in research and control community during flooding to the pre-flooded period ( Mondal et al., 2001 ).

Access to medical care and drugs is of central concern in the flood-affected areas of Pakistan, as is the reconstruction of community health facilities in the region. According to the WHO, 2010s flood affected more than 20 million people, many of whom were homeless. At that time, at least 8 million people required urgent humanitarian aid. More than 400 of the approximately 3000 clinics and hospitals in flood-affected areas had been affected or closed, thereby restricting the availability of urgent and daily healthcare. The availability to clean water for drinking and standards of health and safety were severely affected, though the risks of occurrences of waterborne diseases. Specific health issues, such as tuberculosis , skin diseases, severe respiratory diseases, and starvation, were of utmost concern ( WHO, 2010 ).

3.3 Economic cost of floods

The future of the world economy is more uncertain than it has ever been, and this uncertainty is sensitive to uncertainties relating to a range of economic policy decisions made by all parties involved, including governments ( Işık et al., 2019 ). Natural climatic risks have direct interaction with core macroeconomic factors and can affect economic development and market performance rapidly. Jonkman et al. (2008) described a framework established for the assessment of flood damage in the Netherlands and suggested that the economic loss resulting from the floods relies on the country’s vulnerable location, coastal zone, and economy. According to ( Toya and Skidmore, 2007 ), high-income economies, high schooling, more transparency, more robust financial structures, and reduced government suffer fewer casualties from natural disasters. They argue that private preference for safety nets rises because of increasing people’s wages because higher salaries encourage individuals to mitigate the danger by investing extra in precautionary measures.

With improved GDP growth, citizens could have improved facilities, alarming networks, and flood-prone precautionary and protective steps that can mitigate the effect of floods. Sadia et al. (2013) examined the impact of natural disaster deaths on Pakistan’s GDP per capita from the disaster by taking the data for the period 1975 to 2009, using the ordinary least square model, and found a strong positive impact on per capita GDP from disaster-related deaths, human capital, and life expectancy.

Ahmad et al. (2011) proposed that two levels of flood damage could be evaluated. The harm to facilities (infrastructure) and mortality can be called the first tragedy accompanied by second disasters like the families facing poverty due to the death of earning hands. The risk of the second catastrophe may be higher than that of the first. The risk of natural hazards along with people’s socio-economic insecurity presents a major threat to the system of Pakistan’s government.

Sardar et al. (2016) discuss three threats linked to floods: death, property destruction, and non-fatal community consequences, and calculated the effect of these disasters on Pakistan’s GDP growth for the duration 1972–2013. Their results showed that the per capita GDP development and emergency prevention reduce the severity of flood risks associated with it. Most notably, and contrary to evidence from several nations, flood intensity accentuates flood-related hazards in Pakistan which indicate a lack of understanding of previous flood experience. Concerning the flood-to-economic growth connection, their analysis showed that flood-related threats have a substantial negative effect on the economy’s GDP performance. Property loss causes economic development with the greatest effects.

3.4 Housing

According to the economic survey of Pakistan in 2011, approximately 392,786 houses were affected, and 728,192 were lost. In the districts of Muzaffargarh and Rajanpur in Punjab, Nowshera, and D. I. Khan in KPK and Jaffarabad, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, and Thatta in Sindh, the harm was more noticeable also shown in Figure 1 and Table 1 . The geographical distribution of Pakistan’s 2010 floods direct and indirect showed in Figure 3 and Figure 4 , respectively. The flood damages and reconstruction costs by sector as shown in Table 4 .

TABLE 4 . Flood damages and reconstruction cost by sectors (Rs. in Billion) ( Pakistan: Flood Impact Assessment, 2011 ).

4 Flood management in Pakistan

The flood prevention strategy is a relatively complicated problem in Pakistan. In each of the four provinces, the complexity of the issue differs because of their specific physiographic, climatic, geographical, and socioeconomic circumstances ( Chaudhri, 1981 ). Early severe flooding happened in 1950, 1956, and 1957 after independence. However, no systematic flood control program was implemented at the national level, owing to scarce funding and administrative structures. Protection and control of flooding remained the exclusive responsibility of regional governments until 1976. That improved after 1973 destroying floods that took 474 lives and caused damage of 160 billion Pakistani Rupees ( Tariq and van de Giesen, 2012 ).

4.1 Evolution of flood management system in Pakistan

In 1973 Pakistan faced severe floods which led to the establishment of the Federal Flood Commission (FFC) in 1977. The commission worked under the Ministry of Water and Power and was established to implement nationwide flood management, particularly concerning the Indus River Basin. The main functions of the FFC include developing national flood management measures; approving flood management plans drawn up by local governments and federal entities; examining flood damage to facilities in the public sector, and analysis of repair and rehabilitation plans; flood forecasting, and alert program enhancement measures; providing guidelines on standards for the management of flood protection reservoirs ( GoP Annual Flood Report, 2009 ).

The first National Flood Protection Plan (NFPP-I) was developed after the creation of the FFC, with a spending timeline to be introduced throughout the 1978–1988 decade. A Federal Coordination Cell (now reshaped as FID Cell) was formed in 1982 to organize the Provincial Irrigation Departments ' operations, especially in the drainage region. In 1987 Dam Protection Council was set up to examine established dams via DSO WAPDA and proposals for new dams etc. ( GoP Annual Flood Report, 2009 ).

In Pakistan, flood control initiatives consist primarily of flood-protection embankments, spurs, studs, and sophisticated flood-prediction strategies. The provincial governments have developed numerous flood-protection systems to address local flood challenges ( Baig, 2008 ). According to Ahmed et al. (2014) flood risk reduction in Pakistan was handled primarily by federal and provincial authorities, which typically need to be reconsidered to find innovative methods and strategies to counter the threat. Flood management institutions and their responsibilities are presented in Figure 8 .

FIGURE 8 . Evolution of flood management and relief system in Pakistan.

4.2 Flood warning system in Pakistan

According to Jain et al. (2018) , Flood Forecasting and Warning System (FFWS) main aim is to inform the public and other stakeholders of an imminent flood as early and effectively as possible. In Pakistan, the mechanism of flood warning and control undertakes three phases: 1) The PMD tracks the monsoon weather pattern, which produces either from the west in the Arabian Sea or from the East in the Bay of Bengal, in the first stage. Their movements are monitored for the upper catchments lying in Pakistan or over the border, and estimates are generated one to 2 days in advance for expected rains and the severity of such rains. In the case of rains, the volume of rainfall is estimated and evaluated above the rim stations for their possible run-off relationship) after that is the stage of flood creation that starts with the generation of runoff from the rim stations and flows down into the Indus River and its tributary. Projected rainfall and flow data and real upstream flows are the hydro-meteorological portions of the flood prediction method 3) ultimately, the hydrological part of the forecasting network is to track and control the route of the flood wave below the rim station of the rivers at the downstream locations. This is handled by WAPDA and controlled in respective provinces by the irrigation departments ( Hussain, 2015 ).

The early warning system of Pakistan is efficient to some extent; however, the flood warning system only aims to provide information, rather protective measures. In our opinion, as we have also mentioned in the study, such acts can only help lessen the losses to be incurred. However, the implementation in the form of evacuation, protection, and migration is based upon the behavioral choices of the people of the area. We can mention the example of Mardan, where legal force was used to vacate the city during the 2022 floods. Thus, flood warning system calculates and provides relevant information. However, the impact must reach the grassroots level, furthermore, there is a strong need of creating a civic sense among the people of Pakistan. As can be seen in the case of Sawat River flash floods, it is speculated that most of the socio-economic loss incurred was caused by illegitimate activities, land grabbing on the riverbed, and around the torrent flow, which was against the River Protection Ordinance, 2002.

4.2.1 Flood forecasting division’s flood forecasting models

The FFD employs the Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) and the Indus Integrated Flood Analysis System (IFAS) for flood forecasts. In terms of urban areas, flood prediction and warning systems were developed in the Nallah Lai Basin ( Afsa et al., 2013 ; Sugiura et al., 2014 ). Since 2007 the FFD has used the flood forecasting framework FEWS built by Delft Hydraulic in the Netherlands. The FEWS contains (1) the rainfall-runoff interface Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting (SAC-SMA) and (2) the SOBEK, an interface for hydraulic fluid routing ( Shrestha et al., 2019 ). The Layout contains data from forty-four (44) WAPDA telemetry stations. The rainfall-runoff process performance determines the entrance into the routing mechanism ( Awan, 2003 ). Early warning mechanism components are shown in Figure 9 .

FIGURE 9 . Early warning mechanism components ( Hussain, 2015 ).

From the perspective of South Asia, the hierarchical institutional structure Flash Flood Guidance System with Global Coverage (FFGS) can provide warnings about 6–24 h in advance for South Asian countries, including India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. However, the respective NDMA’s of these countries perform the same functions as Pakistan, Since Bangladesh and India are more densely populated than Pakistan, the riverbank protection in India and Bangladesh is much more rooted at the state level, and powers are transferred to the grassroots level for implementation. But, as the cultural roots of the subcontinent remain the same along with legal roots, the implementation and behavioral intention part remain at certain risk.

4.2.1.1 Criticism

The present flood forecasting method of the FEWS model, however, has minimal regional scope, and rainfall-runoff knowledge and downstream routing of the Tarbela and Kabul rivers are not integrated with the model. The tributaries included in the FEWS are not determined by the amount and rate of discharge necessary for reliable flood forecasting ( Shrestha et al., 2019 ). The FFD also introduces the IFAS established by the International Center for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM) under the Critical Reinforcing of Pakistan’s Flood Warning and Management Capacity Program and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), with UNESCO funding. More than thirty-nine (39) districts in Pakistan are protected by flood prediction and early warning services from the IFAS ( Ahmad, 2015 ; Mustafa et al., 2015 ).

Disaster management institutions in Pakistan are relatively new and need time to strengthen their foothold. National disaster management authority (NDMA) claims a preparedness-oriented approach, but at the core, the country’s disaster management system is still operating on a top-down approach. Practically, it is more relief-focused, and season-based planning is being implemented. Under the 18th amendment of the constitution of Pakistan, PDMAs are not legally bound to follow NDMA. As a result, NDMA just acts as a general policy-defining institution. Mutual coordination needs to be encouraged to cover potential oversights. District disaster management authorities are composed of officials from different local institutions and are virtually non-existent in the field. Thus, a dedicated DDMA is needed, which could act as a catalyst in disaster risk reduction ( Rana et al., 2021 ).

There is also a need for regular technical and institutional capacity assessments for effective disaster preparedness and response. Consequently, ad-hoc disaster risk management is happening in the study areas. More research could be conducted to identify potential weaknesses in these urban institutions. There is a need to improve local institutions’ image in front of communities as strong distrust further complicates flood risk reduction initiatives. Local institutions and communities need to work together to realize the full potential of the disaster management cycle and disaster risk reduction approach ( Rana et al., 2021 ). Flood management institutions and their responsibilities are shown in Figure 10 .

FIGURE 10 . Flood management institutions and their responsibilities developed after ( Ali, 2013 ; Rana et al., 2021 ).

To cope with the situation, there must be a multi-pronged approach, as suggested there is a strong need for water reservoirs, which can be fulfilled through water policy. Secondly, the early warning system and relevant institutions must reach the grassroots level to cope with the emergency in a better way. Thirdly, the whole management machinery of the area remains dependent upon a certain institution, Pakistan Administrative Services. There is a strong to segregate the departmental responsibilities and develop new departments ensuring implementation. Lastly, the citizens must have a civic sense or understanding of the nature of the information provided to them in the wake of floods.

In April 2018, Pakistan’s four provincial chief ministers endorsed the country’s first regional water policy. The National Water Policy’s goal is to address the growing water problem and include an overarching policy structure and recommendations for a robust action plan. The National Water Policy provides a specific policy structure and collection of water protection standards based on which the Provincial Governments will devise their development plans and water conservation, water improvement, and water management projects ( GoP National Water Policy, 2018 ).

5 Conclusion

Floods are a frequently occurring phenomenon due to heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan. The size and magnitude of the floods that Pakistan has confronted in the last few years would have been a problem for any nation. Recent severe floods have shown that there is a lack of adequate cooperation between flood control agencies, due in part to shortcomings in current technological capacities, such as warning signals, preparedness initiatives, disaster response, and systemic flood prevention measures. This is important to further develop flood monitoring and alert systems to reduce the damages of potential floods. Although Pakistan’s flood warning and detection systems have shown their effectiveness, the forecasting ability of the network is still weak. At the same time the institutions, NDMA and PDMA, operate at national and provincial levels, dispersing the rehabilitation responsibilities to local bureaucracy rather than establishing a grassroots-level structure with reference to small cities and villages. It also makes rehabilitation procedures weak and ineffective in most areas. Nonetheless, a cohesive response by the Pakistani community and the combined efforts of all the international and domestic agencies concerned remained crucial. Only providing damage reimbursements to flood victims is not the remedy; we need to get rid of this problem. Pakistan’s water management also needs to develop more reservoirs—lakes, and dams as a way to combat floods. The government should generate and incorporate robust public awareness initiatives to educate the public on flood risks and flood preparedness. In conclusion, to achieve effective flood control, a risk-based proactive strategy is needed.

Author contributions

All authors listed have made a substantial, direct, and intellectual contribution to the work and approved it for publication.

Open access funding provided by UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Afsa, M. M., Aslam, K., and Atif, S. “Comparative analysis of flood inu by flood early warning system 2010 floods in Pakistan,” in 5th World Engineering Congress , Islamabad, Pakistan , 2013.

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Keywords: major floods, flood management, social and economic cost, flood control, flood impacts

Citation: Manzoor Z, Ehsan M, Khan MB, Manzoor A, Akhter MM, Sohail MT, Hussain A, Shafi A, Abu-Alam T and Abioui M (2022) Floods and flood management and its socio-economic impact on Pakistan: A review of the empirical literature. Front. Environ. Sci. 10:1021862. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2022.1021862

Received: 17 August 2022; Accepted: 22 November 2022; Published: 01 December 2022.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2022 Manzoor, Ehsan, Khan, Manzoor, Akhter, Sohail, Hussain, Shafi, Abu-Alam and Abioui. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Muhsan Ehsan, [email protected] ; Tamer Abu-Alam, [email protected]

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Pakistan Floods 2022: Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA)

October 28, 2022.

The Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) of the 2022 Pakistan Floods includes the Main Report and the Supplemental Report. The reports have been prepared under the leadership of the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives through its Flood Coordination Cell, supported by the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, the United Nations agencies with technical facilitation by the United Nations Development Programme, and the World Bank.

The assessment estimates total damages to exceed USD 14.9 billion, and total economic losses to reach about USD 15.2 billion. Estimated needs for rehabilitation and reconstruction in a resilient way are at least USD 16.3 billion, not including much-needed new investments beyond the affected assets, to support Pakistan’s adaptation to climate change and overall resilience of the country to future climate shocks.

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Pakistan’s Deadly Floods Pose Urgent Questions on Preparedness and Response

Photo: ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images

Critical Questions by Jacob Kurtzer and Hareem Fatima Abdullah

Published September 13, 2022

Pakistan is experiencing its worst humanitarian crisis in a decade, spurred by extreme torrential rainfall and devastating flash floods. The most widespread flooding in the 73-year history of Pakistan has left one-third of the country underwater and parts resembling “ a small ocean .” The floods have impacted over 4.2 million people ; almost 1,400 people have died, including 458 children , more than 1,600 are injured, and half a million are displaced. Since mid-June, the flooding has damaged over 1 million homes and destroyed 130 bridges and 3,000 kilometers of roads. Authorities warn the flood waters could take up to six months to recede.

The destruction of critical infrastructure has created severe access constraints for civilians and government officials working to reach affected populations. The disaster aggravates preexisting climate, economic, and public health crises, with women, girls, and other vulnerable groups bearing the brunt. More than 6.4 million people are in “ dire need ” of humanitarian aid, requiring the international community to work collaboratively with local actors and the government of Pakistan to address immediate needs while providing support for longer-term prevention and rehabilitation efforts.

Q1: What is the situation in flood-affected areas?

A1: Satellite images reveal the extent of the devastation. The retaining wall of Lake Manchar—the largest lake in Pakistan, located near Sehwan Sharif in the southeastern province of Sindh— burst last week, causing thousands to flee and drowning hundreds of villages. After flood waters inundated two rural towns, the Pakistani government made a controversial, last-ditch attempt to ease pressure on the structure by engineering two intentional breaches. The government hoped to divert flood waters from densely populated areas and save the resting grounds of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, a renowned and revered Sufi saint. Its efforts proved futile: the ruptured wall inundated approximately 400 villages , affecting nearly 135,000 people and increasing water levels as much as six feet.

Lake Manchar, Sindh, Pakistan

Copyright © 2022 by Planet. Image may not be republished without permission. Please contact [email protected] .

The Sindh province continues to see record rainfall, and water is permeating into the overflowing water channel of the Indus River, swollen by tributaries such as Lake Manchar. Several flood survivors from villages on the banks of the Indus made the treacherous journey to Sukkur, approximately 230 kilometers from Sehwan Sharif, hoping to obtain food and medical assistance. However, Sukkur is now also submerged under water.

Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan

Sindh has been the province worst affected by the floods, with 522 deaths reported , including 219 children, but other regions also face “ apocalyptic ” levels of destruction. In southwestern Balochistan, Pakistan’s poorest province, flooding has destroyed 60 percent of the houses. Nearly 300 people , including over 100 children, have been killed in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since mid-June. The floods have damaged dozens of bridges, hundreds of kilometers of roads and water supply lines, and more than 1,000 houses in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan. Over 900,000 acres of crops in Punjab, including nearly half of the country’s cotton , have been destroyed.

Q2: What factors are contributing to the devastation?

A2: In April and May 2022, Pakistan experienced its hottest months in 61 years, causing nearly 100 deaths in northwest India and southeast Pakistan. The heatwave “ [tested] the limits of human survivability ,” with temperatures in parts of the country exceeding 122 degrees Fahrenheit . Earlier this year, forest fires destroyed 45 acres of Margalla Hills National Park. A NASA study suggests that some areas in Pakistan will soon become uninhabitable. Karachi, Pakistan’s financial and industrial capital, with a population of 16 million, is forecast to be submerged in seawater by 2060. Jacobabad, considered the world’s hottest city , is already underwater .

Despite early speculation, climate experts say Pakistan’s floods are not primarily attributable to glacial melt. The country is home to more than 7,200 glaciers , the highest number outside the Antarctic and Arctic polar caps. Although rising temperatures have caused the glaciers to melt at increased rates, Islamabad-based ecologist Parvaiz Naim claims that “such floods have so far been of local significance only because of the relatively small volumes of discharge."

According to Shafqat Munir, a research fellow at the Islamabad-based think tank Sustainable Development Institute, southbound rains prompted the catastrophic flooding. Pakistan, located on the far western edge of the South Asian monsoon region, with a predominantly arid desert climate, generally receives far less rainfall than parts of India. However, the volume of rainfall in Pakistan this year has been historic; the country has seen 190 percent more rain than the 30-year average, and meteorologists forecast more unabating precipitation in the weeks to come. Sindh and Balochistan have received 784 percent and 496 percent of their average rainfall this season, respectively.

In addition to climate change, several other factors account for the extreme impact of the flooding. Experts claim the Pakistani government is “paying the price for years of delays in addressing the problem.” Corruption, mismanagement of the country’s water resources, a lack of necessary infrastructure, and weak governance have fueled the crisis, hitting the poorest and middle class the hardest. Many structures were built illegally or so poorly that they could not withstand the rains and subsequent floods, and some were constructed in places previously affected by the 2010 floods. Local government authorities often lack the capacity to combat illegal construction. Pakistan’s army chief, Qamar Javed Bajwa, has called for legal action against those responsible for erecting structures on vulnerable sites.

Illegal logging persists across Pakistan, despite claims the government controlled the situation through the deployment of paramilitary forces. Pakistan, already in a forest deficit with only 5 percent of areas forested, compared with a global average of 31 percent, has experienced higher deforestation rates than average due to rampant forest fires and uncontrolled logging. Trees restrict sediment deposition and stabilize soil during extreme rain events. With increased deforestation, Pakistan will become more susceptible to severe flooding.

Political instability has exacerbated the situation further. A power struggle between the Pakistan Democratic Movement coalition government and ousted leader Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, dominated media coverage in earlier months of the crisis. The heat wave that began in April and the floods that hit Balochistan province in July received little attention from politicians or news organizations. While the immediate political crisis has ceased, underlying tensions may affect the long-term response.

The excessive production of carbon emissions by industrialized countries in the Global North is also causing severe climate impacts in the Global South. Pakistan is home to 2.6 percent of the world’s population, yet it has contributed only 0.4 percent of global carbon emissions since 1959, well below its fair share of safe emissions. Countries in the Global North, on the other hand, have exceeded their quotas by 92 percent , with 100 companies responsible for 71 percent of emissions. The United States accounts for 4 percent of the world’s population but is responsible for 13 percent of global carbon emissions, bearing a “ disproportionate liability .” Continued inaction from the Global North to reduce its emissions will further contribute to climate-induced humanitarian disasters in countries across the Global South.

Q3: What are the short- and long-term impacts of the floods?

A3: This year’s calamity alone would have been disastrous, but the flooding compounds preexisting economic and public health crises in Pakistan. The government reported a record 27 percent inflation rate for August, requiring it to meet conditions to restart an International Monetary Fund (IMF) plan, including ending subsidies on oil and increasing tariffs on electricity consumption. The government accepted the requirements, which has helped stave off default but inflicted strains on the poorest and middle class.

As part of the bailout, the IMF approved a $1.17 billion loan that will go toward relief efforts. Pakistan is also expected to receive $16 billion in commercial loans, $14 billion from other international institutions, and $2 billion in foreign direct investment. According to Ahsan Iqbal, the minister of planning and development, the cost of damage the country has incurred thus far will likely be “ far greater ” than current estimates of $12.5 billion . Some experts argue the loans will further weaken Pakistan’s economic position.

Pakistan has been facing heightened food insecurity due to inflated food prices resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The widespread destruction of Pakistan’s agriculture and livestock will trigger additional severe food shortages. The flooding has drowned 900,000 livestock and obliterated 80 to 90 percent of crops and over 2 million acres of farmland . Faisal Edhi, head of the Edhi Foundation, Pakistan’s largest social welfare organization, says that those who have survived the floods now risk death by starvation. The United Nations warns of increasing risks of mortality and severe acute malnutrition among newborns, with health services unable to meet growing needs.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the flooding has damaged more than 1,460 health centers , 432 of which are inoperable, primarily in Sindh province. Health officials are concerned about large-scale outbreaks of waterborne diseases—namely cholera, diarrhea, and malaria—and respiratory illnesses, which have caused significant strains on health facilities and killed almost 1,200 people . According to the WHO, diarrhea, measles, respiratory infections, skin diseases, typhoid, and vector-borne diseases, such as dengue and malaria, have been reported , especially in badly affected areas. With half a million people crowded into emergency relief camps, the health crisis will likely deteriorate further. The need for clean drinking water, hygiene kits, and sanitation is ever-present. There is also an urgent need to scale up disease surveillance, replenish health supplies, and restore damaged medical facilities.

The floods have severely exacerbated the situation for women, girls, and other vulnerable groups. According to CARE Pakistan country director Adil Sheraz , “It’s women, girls, and other marginalized groups who face the biggest challenges including access to humanitarian assistance.” The UN Population Fund estimates more than 8 million women and girls of reproductive age are affected, with 1.6 million needing humanitarian assistance. Pakistan’s crumbling healthcare infrastructure has rendered at least 650,000 pregnant women without the facilities and support they need to deliver their children safely. Of the 100,000 pregnant women in Sindh province, only 891 have been able to relocate to emergency relief camps. Up to 73,000 women have delivery dates in the next month and require skilled birth attendants, newborn care, and support. With over 1 million homes damaged, women and girls face a heightened risk of sexual- and gender-based violence (SGBV). Pakistan’s Khwaja Sira (transgender) community, who already face daily discrimination, are also at heightened risk of violence.

During the “super-floods'' of 2010, extremist attacks against religious minorities—particularly Ahmadis and Shias— increased , sparking violent protests against the police for failing to protect them. Minority groups had been denied services by aid workers, an offense likely to reoccur in the absence of protective measures and safeguards for vulnerable groups. Reports of SGBV against women and girls from minority religious communities, including Hindus , have already surfaced.

Q4: How have domestic, regional, and international actors responded thus far?

A4: During his recent visit to flood-affected areas in Pakistan, UN secretary-general António Guterres said he “never [has] seen climate carnage” at this scale, warning “today it is Pakistan, tomorrow it could be your country.” Guterres calls on the world to stop “ sleepwalking ” through the crisis. The United Nations announced a flash appeal for $160 million to “provide critical food and cash assistance to Pakistan.” The United States has allocated $50 million in humanitarian assistance to support flood survivors, using the funds to supply food, multipurpose cash, nutrition, safe water, improved sanitation and hygiene, and shelter assistance.

The European Union will provide $1.8 million to relief efforts in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh provinces. The United Kingdom has announced $17.3 million in funding, and other European countries have followed suit, including Germany, which has pledged $13 million to Pakistan. However, Germany is facing growing criticism over deporting Pakistani asylum seekers amidst the catastrophic flooding, with one refugee group describing the deportations as “ humanitarian bankruptcy .” Bangladesh , China , Qatar , Turkey , and the United Arab Emirates , are also contributing, yet current funding levels are nowhere close to what is needed, according to Finance Minister Miftah Ismail.

Although Pakistan is facing a massive humanitarian crisis, the international response to date is minuscule compared to Ukraine, where around 12 million people were displaced—around a third of the displaced population in Pakistan. World leaders have criticized the international community’s focus on the war in Ukraine, arguing that crises elsewhere are not being given the same attention. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebre claims the world “is not treating the human race the same way.” Columnist Fatima Bhutto argues that “it is either a snide form of racism—that terrible things happen to places like Pakistan—or an utter failure of compassion.”

Civilians and local government authorities are doing the heavy lifting on the ground, conducting rescue operations and delivering emergency relief to the country’s most vulnerable. Organizations such as Women Democratic Front are developing mechanisms to distribute cash and in-kind goods to families affected by the floods. Yet volunteers on the frontlines are facing severe access issues . Floodwater has inundated miles of roads, making some towns almost impossible to reach. The government has been unable to deploy helicopters to rescue survivors due to the relentless rain, with nowhere to pump the water. Only 10 percent of survivors have received any assistance so far.

Relief efforts should draw lessons from the response to the 2010 floods when Pakistanis turned out in full force to coordinate relief efforts, donate, and volunteer with local organizations or government-led operations, as they have in recent months. Donors and international actors, such as the Aga Khan Development Network , the Edhi Foundation , and the Hidaya Foundation , should act in support of Pakistani organizations and make a concerted effort to give back agency and leadership to domestic response organizations more capable and attuned to the needs of affected populations.

Second, in the months after the initial response to the 2010 floods, funding and international attention on the crisis dwindled . The scale of destruction and needs is expected to worsen with time. All stakeholders should develop means to provide funding and resources for a sustained period while keeping longer-term disaster prevention and rehabilitation in mind. This assistance should focus on grants and mechanisms that can support local actors rather than large loan packages that can exacerbate existing economic challenges.

Pakistan has a long way to go toward recovering from the current crisis and preparing for future disasters. International actors can do their part by supporting local actors in their short-term response and longer-term prevention and rehabilitation efforts. The floods should also serve as a wake-up call for countries in the Global North to drastically reduce emissions so that countries in the Global South contributing the least to climate change no longer are faced with the consequences.

Hareem Fatima Abdullah is a program coordinator with the Humanitarian Agenda at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. Jacob Kurtzer is director and senior fellow with the CSIS Humanitarian Agenda.

Critical Questions  is produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a private, tax-exempt institution focusing on international public policy issues. Its research is nonpartisan and nonproprietary. CSIS does not take specific policy positions. Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s).

© 2022 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. All rights reserved.

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Pakistan’s floods have displaced 32 million people — here’s how researchers are helping

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With more than a one-third of Pakistan affected by flooding, millions of people are in need of food, shelter and medical care. Researchers, along with the government, international aid agencies and local organizations are racing to provide assistance ahead of more rain predicted this month.

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Flood disaster in pakistan situation report (27 august 2022).

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The floods caused by the monsoon rains since mid-June 2022 has affected Balochistan, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) provinces of Pakistan. According to the official figures (NDMA, SIT-REP No.075) the massive floods have so far claimed 1,033 lives and injured 1,527 people. The estimated number of affected people is around 30 million, and around 1 million houses are totally or partially damaged leaving behind millions in need of urgent shelter.

Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) Response

PRCS has been responding to the flood disaster in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the support of DREF (CHF 481,058). Besides deploying 6 mobile water treatment plants, NFI (hygiene kit, jerrycan and mosquito net) and cash assistance (16,000 PKR - 73.5 CHF) are being provided; from which 1,100 families in Balochistan, 400 in Sindh, 400 in Punjab, and 1,100 in KPK will benefit. Additionally, IFRC is planning to launch an Emergency Appeal in coming days.

Turkish Red Crescent Society (TRCS) Response Plan

TRCS, in collaboration with PRCS, is providing cash assistance (16,000 PKR - 73.5 CHF) and NFI (300 hygiene kits, 600 jerrycans, and 1,500 mosquito nets) to 300 families in Jafferabad, Balochistan. Furthermore, 100 tents (16m2 ) and 1,000 blankets will be sent by air cargo along with humanitarian aid by Ministry of Interior, Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of Türkiye, which is expected to arrive in Pakistan on 28.08.2022 to alleviate the suffering of flood affected people. Also, free medical camps are planned to support diagnosis and treatment around 6,000 people.

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Progresos en las actividades de socorro, rehabilitación, reconstrucción y prevención tras las inundaciones de 2022 en el pakistán - informe del secretario general sobre la aplicación de la resolución 77/1 de la asamblea general (a/78/894), progrès des opérations de secours, de la réhabilitation, de la reconstruction et de la prévention à la suite des inondations au pakistan en 2022 - rapport du secrétaire général sur l’application de la résolution 77/1 de l’assemblée générale (a/78/894), progress in relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and prevention following the floods in pakistan in 2022 - report of the secretary-general on the implementation of general assembly resolution 77/1 (a/78/894) [en/ar/ru/zh].

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Pakistan case study: Coordinated and comprehensive response to the 2022 floods

Devastating floods in Pakistan affected 33 million people in 2022, with 8 million displaced, 13,000 injured and 1,700 killed – the latest in a series of increasingly frequent and severe climate-induced disasters. This case study explores how the empowered UN Resident Coordinator (RC) system was invaluable for responding to the complex crisis. Thanks to strengthened coordination capacities, including at the sub-national level the RC Office offered support to enable a swift humanitarian response, to augment the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)’s limited in-country resources in the immediate aftermath. The RC also enabled a focus on a collaborative approach with international financial institutions (IFIs), including for long-term recovery. The Living Indus Initiative, which emerged from the strategic prioritization for Pakistan’s UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework led by the RC, became the blueprint for a long-term approach, ensuring that UN efforts went beyond a mere response to a one-off disaster.  

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Historical Analysis of Flood Information and Impacts Assessment and Associated Response in Pakistan (1947-2011)

2013, Research Journal of Environmental and Earth Sciences

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