Pakistan: 2022 Monsoon Floods - Situation Report No. 10 (As of 28 October 2022)

This report is produced by the OCHA Humanitarian Advisory Team (HAT) in Pakistan in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 14 October - 28 October 2022. The next report will be issued on or around 11 November 2022.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Malaria cases are increasing due to the stagnant water, while the incidence of diarrhea is at least five times higher than usual, especially in Sindh and Balochistan.
• In Sindh and Balochistan, more than 1 in 9 children under five admitted to health facilities suffered from severe acute malnutrition.
• More than 3.5 million children's education was interrupted due to the impact of floods.
• Humanitarian partners continue to increase assistance in health, shelter, water and sanitation, and nutrition services to reach people in hard-to-reach areas.
• Some sectors noted inadequate funding and delays in supplies as a major gap in responding to the needs of hard-to-reach areas. Roughly only 15-20 per cent of the affected population has received relief assistance from humanitarians.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

During the last weeks, flood water continued to recede in many areas of Balochistan and Sindh, although standing water remains in some districts. In Sindh, the most affected districts, such as Dadu, Khairpur and Mirpurkhas, remain underwater for nearly two months. The winter season is fast approaching, and the affected population will be severely affected by the harsh weather conditions in a few weeks, requiring adequate shelter and non-food items such as tents and blankets. People are preparing the land for the harvest season in areas where the water has receded. Key findings from a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) impact assessment on August indicate that 38 287 km2 (9.4 million acres) of crop area in the country was flooded. Compared with September, close to 4,418 km2 (1.09 million acres) of crop area in the country was flooded. The results also show that 98 per cent of the total area for wheat cultivation is available for the next planting season.

Public health concerns are high due to damaged infrastructure, stagnating water and inadequate sanitation facilities. According to the latest data, as of 25 October, in Sindh, 59 health facilities are fully damaged and 461 partially damaged, further limiting access to primary health care. Stagnating water has provided breeding sites for mosquitos, resulting in an ongoing malaria outbreak in 32 districts. In Sindh, between July and early October, nearly 350,000 people were suspected of having malaria, more than 700,000 had some form of diarrhea, and over 770,000 people reported a skin-related disease, according to the Directorate General of Health Services. Access to safe water and sanitation remains limited, with people using contaminated water for household consumption and suffering from waterborne diseases. The practice of open defecation has increased from one-fifth before the floods to over one-third of the affected population, with 6 million no longer having home sanitation facilities.

The ongoing economic crisis due to rising inflation, low productivity growth and climate change-induced floods continues to present challenges to food security and basic nutrition in flood-affected areas. As of 21 October, the latest National Nutrition Survey estimates that close to 1.6 million children could suffer from severe acute malnutrition and require treatment in Sindh and Balochistan flood-affected areas. In addition, the rate of stunting among children, which was already high before the floods, will further compound children's cognitive development. Malnourished pregnant women are also at risk of low-birthweight babies who will be malnourished. According to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), as of 19 October, more than 1.6 million women are of reproductive age, and nearly 130,000 are pregnant. For these women, the risk of displacement, injury and death due to the flooding compounds with that of gender-based violence and the possibility of dangerous disruptions to reproductive health care.

The floods have severely affected the education sector disrupting the school year and children's access to learning. As of 20 October 2022, at least 26,632 schools have been damaged or destroyed in Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to floods, with data collection still ongoing. In addition, 7,062 schools became relief camps to provide shelter to the flood-affected population, disrupting schooling and the ongoing academic years. Based on current estimations, more than 3.5 million children's education has been interrupted due to floods all over Pakistan, according to UNICEF.

The floods are expected to have a detrimental impact on Pakistan's economy. The post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA) was completed under the leadership of the Ministry of Planning and Development with the Asian Development Bank, European Union, World Bank, and the United Nations system. The assessment estimated total damages to exceed US$14.9 billion, total economic losses to about US$15.2 billion, and needs for rehabilitation and reconstruction at US$16.3 billion. In addition, the PDNA human impact assessment indicates that the national poverty rate may increase by 3.7 to 4.0 percentage points, potentially pushing between 8.4 and 9.1 million more people below the poverty line. Even before the floods, the country was already facing macroeconomic pressures and low economic growth due to challenging global economic conditions. According to the PDNA, the immediate impact on the lives and livelihoods will come through the loss of household income and assets, shortages of food and loss of human capital due to the ongoing public health situation. For more information on PDNA, please refer to the link: https://reliefweb.int/report/pakistan/pakistan-floods-2022-post-disasterneeds-assessment.