Monsoon Mayhem: Understanding and Mitigating Flood Risks in Pakistan

Introduction

Understanding the Monsoon Season in Pakistan

The climate in Pakistan is mostly dry and hot, but during the monsoon season that extends from June through to September, they experience heavy rains and strong blustering winds. These weather patterns are important especially for the agricultural needs since they are responsible for water replenishing and crop farming. However, due to its intensity and unpredicted nature during the rainy season it comes with a variety of floods disrupting many activities.

Why Flood Management is Crucial

Flood management is vital when it comes to finding ways of reducing the impact of the monsoon rains. Floods that occur cause large scale suffering, loss of property, shelter, human beings and family disruption. Thus, it can be concluded that the thought-out and effective measures for the prevention of floods in Pakistan will help to minimize the harm from climatic events, preserve the lives of people, as well as create favorable conditions for the development of the country..

Historical Context

A Brief History of Major Floods in Pakistan

Pakistan has experienced several major floods in recent decades, each causing extensive damage and highlighting the need for improved flood management. Notable floods include:

2010 Floods:The year 2010 Pakistan monsoon flood was devastating, and 1,728 people lost their lives, whereas around 20% of the geographical area was flooded. It affected about 20 million users and mortally wounded 10. It is calculated that in future one million people will require shelter and humanitarian assistance, and three. 6 million that need food aids. The flood swept away or made about one and a quarter million homes uninhabitable. 1 million houses and affected more than 2 million hectares of crops, totaling to cost the lives of 13. 3 metric tons of sugar cane, paddy and cotton.

Many infrastructures were significantly destroyed; roads and bridges, markets, 7,600 schools, and 436 health facilities. The cumulative damages and reconstruction costs were placed at Rs. 855 billion primarily in agriculture, housing, transport, and communications. This resulted in the changes of paradigms: the pruning of resources for the physical rehabilitation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the physical restoration of infrastructure. The provinces of Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were most impacted which needed focused intervention and significant capital to rebuild their supply sources and means of productivity.

Reference:2010 flood  

2014 Floods: Regarding the impact, Discussion of the Recovery Needs Assessment (RNA) report has been made for floods in Pakistan 2014 especially in Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) and some of the plans have also been highlighted there. The floods led to 367 deaths, affecting 2. Five million people, and affected 1,29,880 houses where 67,450 houses were completely destroyed. About 1,179 thousand acres of cropland were affected and food, fodder and cash crops, along with non-farm sources of living were hugely affected. The report identifies four priority sectors for recovery: Permanent Housing, Agriculture and Food Security, Income Generating Activities, Infrastructure and Utilities with DRR as well as ‘Building Back Better’ being the prominent areas of interest. Considering the above tabulation, the estimated recovery cost is US$ 439. Seven million people, with US $ 56. 2 million outlay for improving resourcefulness. Out of these, Punjab bears the major cost. Thus the importance of the strategies to address the integration of DRR measures into the recovery process presented in the report. 

Reference: 2014 flood 

2020 Floods: There was the biggest flood in Sindh and Balochistan province in the summer, particularly in August this year, in Karachi, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, and Dadu due to the heavy rainfall. The floods deeply affected the Johi Tehsil in the Dadu district; buildings, houses, and agricultural fields were almost fully damaged. Sindh province registered 80 villages in Dadu district as Calamity Affected Areas Baluchistan’s districts of Kacchi, Sibbi, Harnai, Naseerabad, Jafferabad, and Jhal Magsi districts were majorly impacted; out of which Jhal Magsi and Jafferabad districts though worst in terms of impact. Bridges, highways and isolated areas were affected with flood waters resulting in evacuation by paramilitary. The death toll rose to at least 163, over 100 were injured and 1,590 houses were damaged by the end of August. As the intensity of the floods increased in early September deaths crossed 230 and Sindh was one of the most affected provinces out of which more than 23,600 people were displaced, crops and communication network were also heavily damaged.

Reference: Flood 2020

2022 Floods: This year the monsoon rains flooded Pakistan and the tragedy has led to a humanitarian emergency: a third of the country is under water, more than 1100 lives were lost, more than 33 million people became affected and more than $10 billion were damaged. Because of the variety of geographical features such as glaciers, deserts, and intensively cultivated and irrigated land in Pakistan, it is highly sensitive to the changes in climatic conditions. The response to this question implementing the respectively chosen approaches revealed that ineffective governance and uncontrolled construction in endangered regions have aggravated the disaster. Inability to respond is hatched by unfavorable political and economic conditions such as high inflation and low FCR. The United Nations has called for $160 million in humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees and the earners of this money such as the US and UK, Turkey, and the UAE have offered the funds. There is a need for technical assistance that would integrate the flood rehabilitation process in the long run.

Reference: Flood 2022

2023 Floods: This year from June to September Pakistan was hit with catastrophic monsoon floods with many people dead and an immense amount of damage. Flash floods due to the continuous downpour affected susceptible Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan provinces and killed more than 226 people with 349 others injured. In excess of 547,400 people had been displaced, structures that include houses, schools, and roads as well as bridges severely affected by the floods. In Sindh province, floods caused by the Sutlej River adversely affected more than 162,257 people; hundreds of thousands of acres of cultivated land became flooded. Splendid official and humanitarian response by the organizations like NDMA furnished 349 camps and 249 medical camps during and after the disaster. However, there are some emergent basic needs; one of them is food, the other is pure water and the third one is secure shelter..

Reference: Flood 2023 

Lessons Learned from Past Flood Events

Past flood events have underscored the importance of preparedness, timely response, and long-term planning. Key lessons include:

• Early Warning Systems: The need for accurate and timely flood forecasts to enable effective evacuation and response.
• Infrastructure Resilience: The importance of building flood-resistant infrastructure, such as embankments, drainage systems, and flood shelters.
• Community Engagement: Involving local communities in flood preparedness and response efforts to ensure a coordinated and effective approach.

Causes of Flooding

Natural Factors: Heavy Rainfall, River Overflow

Natural factors contributing to flooding in Pakistan include:

Human Factors: Urbanization, Deforestation

Human activities exacerbate the risk and impact of flooding:

• Urbanization: They also found out that haphazard urban development may compromise drainage and cause water logging and urban floods. 
• Deforestation: When people decide to deforest an area for farming, or for constructing buildings and roads for instance this reduces the ability of the ground to naturally absorb water hence enhancing chances of flood.

Impact of Flooding

Environmental Consequences

The disastrous overflow of water results in such issues as soil erosion, loss of productive land, and extinction of species, among others. As for the negative impacts, flood water becomes a source of pollutant and disease spreading, which also stands as a danger.

Economic Losses

Flooding results in huge losses in terms of damage to property and infrastructure such as houses, buildings, roads, bridges and electricity power lines. Other consequences include losses in agriculture from submerged crops and deaths of livestock, that increase the level of economic effect.

Social and Humanitarian Issues

This causes a humanitarian crisis because flood affects many people, making them displaced from their homes. Internally displaced individuals are malnourished, lack availability of clean water and proper shelters, and are more susceptible to diseases and psychological distress.

Areas Most Affected

• Punjab: Sometimes, due to the water overflow of Indus, Chenab, and Ravi rivers, the province faces riverine floods. 
• Sindh: Element 2 Karachi – Being situated close to the sea and with the now flooded Kalyam Creek and swollen Lyari River passing through the city, Karachi is subject to both riverine and urban flooding. 
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: The physical cal topography hinders the free movement of air within the atmosphere and also exposes the region to flash floods and landslides. 
• Balochistan: The climate of the region is characterized with occasional floods, which are prevailingly experienced in the areas that are known to be the lowlands.

Recommendations for Future Improvements

To enhance flood resilience, Pakistan should focus on:

• Strengthening Early Warning Systems: Make enhanced meteorological and hydrological prognosis systems to help in timely issue of flood alerts. 
• Improving Infrastructure: Build the proper barriers and dykes like, embankments, levéis and necessary storm water drain outlets. 
• Promoting Sustainable Land Use: Regulate and reduce rates of deforestation and come up with measures for encouraging afforestation as well as regulate the development of urban structures in a manner that would minimize contribution to runoff and optimize natural water absorption. 
• Community Engagement and Education: Educate people as to the potential floods and the prevention and mitigation steps they should take; engage people in the flood planning and response. 
• Institutional Coordination: Promote keeping coordinate relations among the government departments, NGOs and international organizations for having a well-coordinated flood management plan. 

Conclusion

The monsoon season affects Pakistan in a way that it floods especially in some areas of the country and this causes the environment to be destroyed, economy negatively affected and the people affected also. Thus, to reduce the impacts of floods improving the flood management and following comprehensive strategies of flood control adopted by the state of Pakistan, it is possible to primarily rely on the analysis of prior failures. There is a need for synergy of the government, communities, and foreign collaborators, especially as the monsoon season threatens the future of the nation.

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