22-013-RO Alert note Floods in Pakistan

Danish Muslim Aid has submitted an alert note regarding floods in Pakistan. The humanitarian situation in Pakistan has deteriorated over the past two weeks as heavy rains continue to cause flooding, and landslides resulting in displacement and damage across the
country. Sixty-six districts have been officially declared to be ‘calamity hit’ by the Government of Pakistan – 31 in Balochistan, 23 in Sindh, nine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and three in Punjab .

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 situation remains dynamic, and many more districts have been affected; the number of calamity-declared districts is expected to rise as rains continue to fall. The adverse weather conditions have incurred significant human and livestock casualties and widespread damage to private homes and public infrastructure, especially in Balochistan and Sindh provinces.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reports some 33 million people in Pakistan is affected. As of 25 August, Pakistan has experienced 375.4 mm of rainfall – 2.87 times higher than the national 30-year average of 130.8 mm. These rains have primarily fallen on Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), with Balochistan receiving five times its average 30-year rainfall and Sindh receiving 5.7 times its 30-year average. Over 218,000 houses have been destroyed and a further 452,000 damaged since 14 June, according to the NDMA. Livelihoods are also being heavily impacted – more than 793,900 livestock – a critical source of sustenance and livelihoods for many families – have died, of which some 63 percent are in Balochistan and 25 percent in Punjab. Around 2 million acres of crops and orchards have also been impacted, including at least 304,000 acres in Balochistan, 178,000 acres in Punjab, and some 1.54 million acres in Sindh. Damage to infrastructure has further worsened the humanitarian situation, as the partial or complete destruction of over 3,000 km of roads and 145 bridges impedes the ability of people to flee to safer areas or to travel to access markets, healthcare, or other vital services, and restricts the delivery of aid to people in need. Internet outages have also been reported, with the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority attributing widespread internet cuts in central and northern Pakistan on 19 August to technical faults in the fiberoptic network resulting from the heavy rains and floods.