Pakistan: 2022 Monsoon Floods - Situation Report No. 9 (As of 14 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 30 September-14 October 2022. The next report will be issued on or around 28 October 2022.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The growing cases of water-borne and vector-borne diseases remain a concern, especially in Sindh and Balochistan, where standing water remains.

• Over 7 million children and women require immediate access to nutrition services, and around 5.5 million people have no access to safe drinking water.

• 20.6 million people require humanitarian assistance, including around 8.2 million people in flood-affected areas who need urgent health services.

• Government-led multi-sectoral rapid needs assessments in Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reflect main needs in food, water and sanitation, health, and shelter.

• On 4 October, the Revised Pakistan Floods Response Plan (FRP) was released, appealing for US$816 million to cover the most urgent needs of 9.5 million people in need.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

In Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa areas, people are returning to their places of origin or at least close to it to assess their livelihoods' condition. During the last weeks receding waters were observed, particularly in affected areas of Sindh and Balochistan. In Sindh, water is receding in the districts of Kashmore, Kandhkot, Larkana, Ghotki, Sukkur, Tando Allahyar, Shaheed Benazirabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Umerkot and Sanghar. Based on observations by the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) between 26 September and 2 October 2022 and compared with observations between 3 and 9 October 2022, the flood waters are decreasing with approximately 300 km2 in Balochistan, 900 km2 in Punjab and 4,000 km2 in Sindh. As the winter season approaches, the 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.

In the flood-affected areas of Sindh and Balochistan, outbreaks of water-borne and vector-borne diseases continue to increase, particularly due to the destruction of health facilities and standing water. The Government-led multi-sector rapid needs assessments (RNA) conducted in the worst-affected districts of Sindh indicated that 37 per cent of key informants reported that the nearest health facility is not functional, and the ones who reported a health facility nearby stated the limited capacity of the facility. As of 5 October, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), close to 2,000 health facilities have been either damaged or destroyed. Reports of low stocks of essential medicines and medical supplies and access limitations pose another layer of challenge to providing adequate health services to people in need. Around 650,000 pregnant women in flood-affected areas face challenges in getting access to maternal services, while nearly 4 million children lack access to health services.

The health situation is also exacerbated by the lack of adequate sanitation facilities. Large parts of Sindh remain flooded, with access continuing to be a challenge in inundated areas. An estimated 5.5 million people no longer have access to safe drinking water due to damages to water infrastructure and sanitation facilities. As a result, children are most at risk of suffering the consequences of deteriorating health and sanitary conditions. As of 7 October, almost 10 million children require immediate life-saving support, including 4 million children who lack access to health services and 7.6 million children being exposed to protection risks.

The current floods have aggravated food insecurity and malnutrition in flood-affected areas. An estimated 14.6 million people require emergency food assistance from December through March 2023, representing an increase of more than 100 per cent of the pre-flood estimate. This includes 4 million people in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Phase 4 (emergency). In addition, rising inflation and significant damage to irrigation systems are expected to deteriorate the food security situation. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the price of wheat and other basic food items reached near-record levels in August 2022. With the loss of livelihoods and income, families are resorting to negative coping strategies. The multi-sector rapid needs assessments (RNA) findings indicated a significant loss in livestock, crops and orchards. Some 31 per cent of livestock holders have lost at least one animal/poultry due to floods, with the highest proportion in Sindh (44%) followed by Punjab (35%) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (25%). Floods damaged an additional 70 per cent of crops/vegetable areas and around 30 per cent of orchard areas in affected districts.

As of 14 October, the NDMA has recorded over 1,718 deaths and more than 12,800 injuries since mid-June. In addition, more than 2.1 million houses have been damaged or destroyed, and nearly 8 million people are reportedly displaced, including some 644,000 people living in relief camps, according to reports by the Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMA) of the affected provinces.