After the Flood, Pakistan looks like a lake. Houses and fields are underwater, people are displaced, and cattle are starving. In Sindh province, a woman named Nihalan and her seven children are living under a tarp, a makeshift shelter. The flood has ravaged Sindh province and the people of Pakistan are feeling the consequences.
Indus River flooding
Flooding in Pakistan is a serious problem for the country’s southern provinces. Nearly a third of the country remains under water, and the monsoon rains have caused the river to swell at record levels. The Indus River alone is predicted to rise 600,000 cubic feet per second, putting existing flood defences to the test.
The floods have been devastating to Pakistan and have displaced over 33 million people. Over one thousand people were killed and millions of homes were damaged. The flooding of Pakistan has been increasing in frequency in recent decades. It has been credited to a combination of factors, including climate change, poor water resource planning, and indiscriminate infrastructure development.
The worst flooding in Pakistan was along the Indus River, affecting the provinces of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Sindh. During the monsoon season, the river received up to five to six times its average rainfall. The majority of the rainfall arrived in the summer monsoon, which means that the water levels rose dramatically. Hundreds of roads and bridges were destroyed and more than a million acres of crops were destroyed.
More than three million people are still displaced, including thousands of Afghan refugees who had been living in temporary camps near the Indus. Many families have suffered multiple displacements. Nearly 1,400 clinics and hospitals have been damaged and are shut. Doctors are worried about an outbreak of opportunistic vector-borne diseases in the temporary camps.
The melting of the glaciers in the north has increased the amount of water flowing into the rivers, which eventually flow into the Indus. The Indus is the largest river in Pakistan and feeds a large part of the country’s agriculture. The floods are causing unprecedented levels of damage and are already leading to the loss of more than 1,000 lives.
Impacts on agriculture
In Pakistan, the flood has had disastrous effects on agriculture. The wheat harvest in Sindh, the second-largest province, has fallen by 20 percent. The torrential monsoon rain and the extreme heatwave have reduced the crop’s yield, and have also affected livestock and houses. This agro-climatic disaster has shown that climate change is impacting agriculture in Pakistan. Pakistan received 500 percent more rain in July than the average for the last 30 years. The Sindh government has reported that heavy losses are reported in the province, as well as damages in houses and livestock. Agriculture is one of the most affected sectors in Sindh, and this recent disaster has affected millions.
The flooding has devastated a vast amount of farmland. In some areas, water is covering nearly every acre of farmland. Many fields are still wet in October, and some farmers have delayed planting winter crops until after the floods pass. The water has also killed 1.1 million livestock, straining the country’s food system. The World Food Organization estimates that the number of people in need of emergency food assistance will rise from 7.2 million to 14.6 million from December to March 2023. The flooding has also caused a number of outbreaks of waterborne diseases. Malaria, dengue, and cholera have been reported in the flood-hit areas.
Pakistan’s economy is already in crisis and the floods have further exacerbated the situation. Agricultural exports are a major source of income in the country. If the floods continue to affect crops, Pakistan will need to import more food to compensate for the losses. This may worsen its balance of payments crisis.
Damage to health centers
According to the latest report by the Sindh health department, over 1,000 health centers were damaged or destroyed in the flood. There are also concerns about the outbreak of waterborne diseases, which will strain health services. Already, more than 3,800 dengue fever cases have been reported, with nine deaths, and the numbers are expected to rise. Furthermore, more than 44,000 people have been admitted to health centers in emergency relief camps.
The floods have further exacerbated the situation for women, girls and vulnerable groups in Pakistan. According to the UN Population Fund, the floods have affected eight million women of reproductive age and left 1.6 million people in need of humanitarian aid. Furthermore, Pakistan’s deteriorating healthcare infrastructure has left 650,000 pregnant women without support and facilities. Only eight percent of the pregnant women have been able to relocate to emergency relief camps.
While the floods may have largely caused the destruction of health facilities, the impact has been felt far beyond health care. It has exacerbated preexisting economic, public health and climate crises. Children are especially vulnerable and are now more likely to contract vaccine-preventable diseases. Another concern is the impact of the floods on the education system. Without adequate education, children are likely to face a variety of lifelong challenges.
The floods have left more than 1,000 dead in Pakistan, and millions more are left without basic necessities and healthcare. The damage to health centers and water and sanitation infrastructure has made the conditions for disease outbreaks worse. As a result, children are being forced to live in open spaces with their families, where they face many risks and hazards.
Economic impact of floods
Floods in Pakistan have damaged agricultural infrastructure and farmland. In some areas, roads have been cut off and power distribution has been affected. Many livestock and fodder storage facilities have also been damaged. Some estimates suggest that approximately seven million hectares of cultivated land have been inundated. This disaster has cost billions of dollars in crop damages.
The flooding has also caused widespread damage to crops and agricultural products, which has further exacerbated food shortages and food inflation. In addition, Pakistan has a large current account deficit and high public debt, which will make the country’s economy vulnerable to the effects of floods. The country’s economy has been suffering from weak global growth and weak demand from traditional export markets.
The recent floods in Pakistan have severely affected all sectors of the economy. In order to properly assess and deal with these challenges, it is important to develop a comprehensive economic model that captures the major economic relationships and traces both direct and indirect effects. In this chapter, we develop a formal economic framework to estimate the economic cost of floods in Pakistan, and forecast the short to medium-term economic outlook.
The floods in Pakistan are clearly linked to climate change. It is therefore imperative for rich nations to help poor countries such as Pakistan. The government has asked for grants and assistance from wealthy nations, as opposed to loans, to address the impact of this natural disaster. Meanwhile, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Pakistan on a two-day visit to assess the impact of the flooding on the country.
The worst floods in the country in recent years have left over one third of the country under water. In addition to causing death and destruction, floods have also wiped out crops and devastated roads and railways.
International community’s response
The flood that has devastated Pakistan has caused massive destruction to agriculture and livestock, killing up to 750,000 animals. Floodwaters have also damaged 1.2 million hectares of agricultural land. And health workers are warning of the risk of waterborne diseases. While the United Nations and other aid agencies have provided food aid to 400,000 people, there is still a critical need for more help and resources. The World Food Programme is now ramping up its emergency response in order to reach 1.9 million flood-affected people.
The International community’s response to Pakistan after the flooding needs to be comprehensive. It should include financial resourcing, technical assistance, and human capacity building. It should also include building effective early-warning systems and improving water management infrastructure. These efforts will not only help with flood relief efforts, but also with drought relief in future years.
Pakistan’s government has appealed for an “immense humanitarian response,” citing the massive loss of lives and property caused by the floods. However, many experts point to Pakistan’s role in climate change as a major contributing factor to this disaster, even though the country contributes less than one percent of global emissions.
The floods in Pakistan have destroyed crops and livelihoods and left many people homeless. Many international officials have blamed the unprecedented monsoon rains on climate change. The United Nations has asked for $160 million in emergency funds to help Pakistan recover from the flood. Officials estimate that it will take at least $10 billion to rebuild the country. The recovery period will probably be long.
The United States is stepping up its support for the victims of the floods in Pakistan. It has sent two representatives to Pakistan to assess the damages and assess the situation. They will meet with Pakistani government officials and military leaders.
