Attachments
1. Rapid Needs Analysis
This rapid needs Analysis report, conducted by the Health Education and Development Society (HEADS) with support from Action Against Hunger (ACF), identifies immediate needs and sectoral gaps through interviews with community members, local leaders, and representatives from key villages in Upper Chitral, including Booni, Brep, Dizg, Harchin, Khurzh, Mehtring, Rech, and Reshun.
1.1 Document Review:
Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters, including earthquakes, storms, flooding, and drought, which have plagued the country for years, often destroying the foundations on which hundreds of thousands of families have built their lives. Anti-terror operations along the Afghan border have led to years of population displacement, and Pakistan now hosts over 2.5 million displaced people, mostly from crisis-ridden Afghanistan. The country faces numerous challenges due to the large influx of refugees, lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, difficult economic and political conditions, inflation, and increasingly devastating extreme weather events, such as the historic floods in 2022.
In 2024, Chitral was severely impacted by devastating floods that wreaked havoc on infrastructure, disrupted livelihoods, and threatened the well-being of its communities. The Health Education and Development Society (HEADS), with support from Action Against Hunger (ACF), conducted a rapid needs Analysis through key informant interviews (KIIs) with community elders, leaders, and representatives from community-based organizations (CBOs) across seven villages in Chitral. This report captures the community’s insights on immediate needs, sectoral gaps, community responses, and recommendations for enhancing disaster preparedness.
The floods occurred in mid-2024, triggered by intense monsoon rains coupled with accelerated glacial melting. The flooding lasted for several weeks, impacting large parts of the Chitral district. Unusually heavy monsoon rains exacerbated the situation, leading to widespread flooding in the valleys. Upper Chitral was the worst-hit region, including key villages like Booni, Brep, Dizg, Harchin, Khurzh, Mehtring, Rech, and Reshun. The floods caused damage across multiple valleys, including Yarkhun, Laspur, and Torkhow. Numerous bridges and access roads were destroyed or heavily damaged, isolating communities and cutting off essential supply routes. Traditional irrigation channels, known as “karezes,” were damaged, disrupting water supplies for both drinking and agricultural purposes. Small hydropower plants, which many villages depend on for electricity, were rendered nonfunctional. Many households were displaced as their homes were washed away or rendered uninhabitable.
Temporary shelters were established, but overcrowding and lack of resources posed serious challenges. Floodwaters inundated fields, causing massive crop losses, particularly in areas dependent on wheat, maize, and barley. Livestock, a primary source of income, was also heavily affected, with many animals lost to the floods. Food insecurity increased due to crop failures and the destruction of stored grains. Health services were disrupted, leading to an increase in waterborne diseases like diarrhea, typhoid, and skin infections. Schools were damaged, leading to long-term disruptions in education, especially in remote areas.
Landslides triggered by the floods further devastated the landscape, leading to the loss of arable land and increased soil erosion. Deforestation and uncontrolled grazing had already weakened the region’s environmental resilience, making it more vulnerable to such disasters.