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Since 14 June 2022, Pakistan has been experiencing ongoing record monsoon rains across the country causing destructive floods and landslides, and displacing millions of people. As of 9 September, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), nearly 1,400 individuals have died including 499 children, well over 1.7 million houses have been damaged or destroyed, and overall, more than 33 million people – representing 15 per cent of Pakistan’s population – have been affected across 86 districts in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan (GB), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab and Sindh provinces.The floods have compounded existing vulnerabilities and hardships including drought, food insecurity, the pandemic, gaps in health and sustainable solutions. There has been an increase in fatalities due to limited availability and accessibility to health services in the affected areas. Children are malnourished in Sindh and Balochistan, the two most affected provinces, and are falling sick after being exposed to the weather. Various outbreaks of water-borne diseases and the increase of mosquitoes have triggered a health emergency within the existing emergency in the country. More than 750,000 livestock have been killed, significantly affecting many of the affected populations’ means of sustenance and livelihood. The already acute food insecurity situation particularly in Sindh and Balochistan has become bleaker with 3.6 million acres of crops and orchards now affected.
Damage to infrastructure has exacerbated the humanitarian situation, the partial and/or complete destruction of over 6,600km of roads and 269 bridges3 continue to impede people's ability to flee to safer areas or travel to markets, hospitals, or access other vital services, and limits aid delivery to those in need.
Flood waters in Sindh province remain high and continue to rise as rainfall continues in northern Pakistan. This is indicative of possible further flood damages expected especially in the already badly hit Sindh province. Pakistan Meteorological Department has also highlighted that continuing rainfall may trigger landslides in Kashmir, hilly areas of KP and GB during the period of 10-14 September. Meanwhile, forced by the circumstances, the government is adopting alternative strategies to reduce damages by releasing flood waters from overflowing lakes in Sindh province causing controlled flooding in pre-decided communities. However, it is expected that such strategies could collaterally lead to more people being displaced as seen with Manchar lake in Sindh, Pakistan’s largest lake, which has already displaced more than 100,000 people and is still at risk of overflowing