Pakistan: 2022 Monsoon Floods - Situation Report No. 04: As of 2 September 2022

This report is produced by the OCHA Humanitarian Advisory Team (HAT) in Pakistan in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 27 August to 2 September 2022. The next report will be issued on or around 9 September 2022.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The number of destroyed houses doubled since last week to over 436,000, with Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces most affected.

• Eight more districts declared ‘calamity hit’ by the Government of Pakistan, bringing the total to 80 districts in five provinces.

• Some 1,600 km of roads damaged or destroyed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within the last week.

• High flood risks remain along parts of the Indus River, notably between Taunsa in Punjab and Kotri in Sindh.

• Humanitarian appeal for US$160.3 million to aid and protect 5.2 million floodaffected people launched on 30 August, drawing good response from donors.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Intensified rainfall and flooding over the past week have worsened the fragile humanitarian situation of people in already affected areas, and brought devastation to areas previously spared the brunt of the severe monsoon weather. GilgitBaltistan (GB) province has declared ‘calamity hit’ districts for the first time this season, and the number of calamitydeclared districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has nearly doubled. Nationwide, 80 districts have now been declared ‘calamity hit’ – 31 in Balochistan, 23 in Sindh, 17 in KP, six in GB and three in Punjab. Many more districts without an official declaration are also reportedly impacted. Around 33 million people have been affected by the heavy rains and flooding, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). More than 470,000 people are living in collective sites, while many more are displaced and being hosted by other households.

Sindh and Balochistan remain the two provinces that have received the most rainfall this monsoon, each more than 5.5 times their respective 30-year-averages. Over 1.1 million houses have now been damaged or destroyed, with the number of destroyed houses doubling to over 436,000 and the number of damaged houses rising by 63 per cent to over 736,000.

This increase has been most pronounced in Balochistan, where the number of damaged and destroyed houses rose from some 29,800 to more than 61,000; in Sindh, where over 896,000 houses have been damaged or destroyed compared to just over 586,000 a week ago; and in KP, where the figure nearly quadrupled to over 76,000 houses damaged or destroyed since mid-June 2022.

Access continues to be a major obstacle to the delivery of aid and the ability of people to flee to safer locations. Two thousand kilometres of road and 98 bridges were damaged or destroyed over the past week, for a total of over 5,000 km and 243 bridges damaged or destroyed in the last 2.5 months. Most of this increase was incurred in KP, which reported nearly 1,600 km of damaged and destroyed roads as of 1 September, compared to just 7 km a week ago. Railways have also been affected. Destroyed railway bridges, submerged tracks and landslides have disrupted routes connecting Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab, including stretches between Quetta and Taftan; between Quetta and Habibkot via Sibbi; between Hyderabad and Multan via Rohri; and between Kotri to Dadu via Lakhi Shah.

The severe weather has continued to take a direct toll on human lives, with more than 1,200 people reported to have died, including 244 women, 526 men and 416 children. Nearly 4,900 people have reportedly been injured, including at least 2,670 women, 1,281 men and 816 children. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) indicates that high flood risks remain along the stretch of the Indus River between Taunsa in Punjab and Kotri in Sindh, while satellitedetected water extents mapped by the United Nations Satellite Center (UNOSAT) indicate preliminarily that of 793,000 km2 of lands in Pakistan analysed between 1 and 29 August, around 75,000 km2 appear to be affected by floodwaters, including some 48,530 km2 that appear to be croplands. Initial estimates on the ground suggest that at least 3.6 million acres of crops/orchards across the country have already been affected, including over 35,500 acres in KP, 304,000 acres in Balochistan, 438,000 acres in Punjab and 2.85 million acres in Sindh. The livestock sector has also experienced severe losses, with over 733,000 livestock reportedly killed as of 1 September – 68 per cent in Balochistan and 28 per cent in Punjab.

Preliminary information indicates major damage to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure. Initial estimates are that some 20 per cent of water systems are damaged in KP, around 30 per cent in Balochistan, and up to 50 per cent in the hardest hit areas of Sindh and Punjab. In Balochistan’s Lasbela district, 19 water systems have reportedly been damaged due to floods. The extent of reported damages across flood-affected areas requires further verification. Access to safe drinking water is a significant concern, and communities are increasingly resorting to open defecation, heightening the risk of water and sanitation-related diseases. Cases of diarrhoea and water-borne diseases, respiratory infection, and skin diseases have already been reported.