1

SITUATION OVERVIEW
The deadliest weather related disaster of 2010 is
continuing to unfold in Pakistan since July 29,
2010, where heavy monsoon rains have triggered
flooding that has left over 1,500 people dead. The
death toll may reach in the thousands as flooding
has spread throughout the country and countless are
missing due to flash floods and landslides. On top
of this, more monsoon rains and flooding are on the
way according to Pakistan meteorological department
which may continue till end of August.Millions of
homes in thousands of villages and towns have been
destroyed. According to reports, over 13 Million
people have been affected by this disaster - more
than the 2004 Indonesia Tsunami, 2005 Pakistan
Earthquake, and 2010 Haiti Earthquake combined and
destruction is increasing each day.
Infrastructure such as dams, power stations, roads,
bridges, schools, agriculture wells, and drinking
water hand pumps have been severely damaged or
destroyed. There are fears diarrhoea and cholera
will spread among the homeless. Food and drinking
water are in short supply.
2
3

FLOOD

A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that

submerges land. The Floods directive defines a
flood as a temporary covering by water of land not
normally covered by water. In the sense of "flowing
water", the word may also be applied to the inflow
of the tide. Flooding may result from the volume of
water within a body of water, such as a river or
lake, which overflows or breaks levees, with the
result that some of the water escapes its usual
boundaries. While the size of a lake or other body
of water will vary with seasonal changes in
precipitation and snow melt, it is not a
significant flood unless such escapes of water
endanger land areas used by man like a village,
city or other inhabited area.

Floods can also occur in rivers, when flow exceeds

the capacity of the river channel, particularly at
bends or meanders. Floods often cause damage to
homes and businesses if they are placed in natural
flood plains of rivers. While flood damage can be
virtually eliminated by moving away from rivers and
other bodies of water, since time out of mind,
people have lived and worked by the water to seek
sustenance and capitalize on the gains of cheap and
easy travel and commerce by being near water. That
humans continue to inhabit areas threatened by
4

flood damage is evidence that the perceived value

of living near the water exceeds the cost of
repeated periodic flooding.

The word "flood" comes from the Old English flod, a

word common to Germanic languages (compare German
Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in
flow, float; also compare with Latin fluctus,
flumen).

PRINCIPAL TYPES AND CAUSES

RIVERINE
• SLOW KINDS: Runoff from sustained rainfall or
rapid snow melt exceeding the capacity of a
river's channel. Causes include heavy rains
from monsoons, hurricanes and tropical
depressions, foreign winds and warm rain
affecting snow pack. Unexpected drainage
obstructions such as landslides, ice, or debris
can cause slow flooding upstream of the
obstruction.
• FAST KINDS: include flash floods resulting from
convective precipitation (intense
thunderstorms) or sudden release from an
upstream impoundment created behind a dam,
landslide, or glacier.

ESTUARINE
• Commonly caused by a combination of sea tidal
surges caused by storm-force winds. A storm
surge, from either a tropical cyclone or an
extra tropical cyclone, falls within this
category.
5

COASTAL
• Caused by severe sea storms, or as a result of
another hazard (e.g. tsunami or hurricane). A
storm surge, from either a tropical cyclone or
an extra tropical cyclone, falls within this
category.

CATASTROPHIC
• Caused by a significant and unexpected event
e.g. dam breakage, or as a result of another
hazard (e.g. earthquake or volcanic eruption).

MUDDY
• A muddy flood is generated by run off on crop
land.

A muddy flood is produced by an accumulation of

runoff generated on cropland. Sediments are then
detached by runoff and carried as suspended matter
or bedload. Muddy runoff is more likely detected
when it reaches inhabited areas.

Muddy floods are therefore a hillslope process, and

confusion with mudflows produced by mass movements
should be avoided.

OTHER
• Floods can occur if water accumulates across an
impermeable surface (e.g. from rainfall) and
cannot rapidly dissipate (i.e. gentle
orientation or low evaporation).
• A series of storms moving over the same area.
6

• Dam-building beavers can flood low-lying urban

and rural areas, often causing significant
damage.
7

EFFECTS
PRIMARY EFFECTS
• PHYSICAL DAMAGE - Can damage any type of
structure, including bridges, cars, buildings,
sewer systems, roadways, and canals.
• CASUALTIES - People and livestock die due to
drowning. It can also lead to epidemics and
waterborne diseases.

SECONDARY EFFECTS
• WATER SUPPLIES - Contamination of water. Clean
drinking water becomes scarce.
• DISEASES - Unhygienic conditions. Spread of
water-borne diseases.
• CROPS AND FOOD SUPPLIES - Shortage of food
crops can be caused due to loss of entire
harvest. However, lowlands near rivers depend
upon river silt deposited by floods in order to
add nutrients to the local soil.
• TREES - Non-tolerant species can die from
suffocation.

TERTIARY/LONG-TERM EFFECTS
• ECONOMIC - Economic hardship, due to: temporary
decline in tourism, rebuilding costs, food
shortage leading to price increase, etc.

There are many disruptive effects of flooding on

human settlements and economic activities. However,
floods (in particular the more frequent/smaller
floods) can bring many benefits, such as recharging
8

ground water, making soil more fertile and

providing nutrients in which it is deficient. Flood
waters provide much needed water resources in
particular in arid and semi-arid regions where
precipitation events can be very unevenly
distributed throughout the year. Freshwater floods
in particular play an important role in maintaining
ecosystems in river corridors and are a key factor
in maintaining floodplain biodiversity.

Periodic flooding was essential to the well-being

of ancient communities along the Tigris-Euphrates
Rivers, the Nile River, the Indus River, the Ganges
and the Yellow River, among others. The viability
for hydrological based renewable sources of energy
is higher in flood prone regions.

FLOOD IN PAKISTAN

The devastating flood in Pakistan had destroyed

more than half of the economy of the country.The
country which was already facing several other
crises including
terrorism,poverty,corruption,illiteracy has now hit
by another challenge in the form of flood.At this
crucial time ,the world has pledge to help Pakistan
in any form.

Heavy monsoon rains started to hit Pakistan from 22

July 2010, causing flash floods in several parts of
9

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Baluchistan, Punjab and

Pakistan Administered Kashmir. Following continued
torrential rains, these floods are now gradually
moving from country’s north to the south; Sindh
province. These floods have caused huge
devastation; hundreds of villages have been swept
away. Death toll has risen to more than 1500
people, at least 1.2 million homes have been
damaged and an estimated 17.2 million people have
been affected by the floods. Floods have caused
widespread damage to public infrastructure, with
roads submerged and tens of bridges swept away,
many hospitals and an estimated 7,173 schools are
being severely damaged. Power and communication
lines are down in many areas. The economic cost is
also huge. Thousands acres of agricultural land has
been flooded, at least 3.2 million hectares of
standing crops have been damaged and at least
200,000 livestock animals have been lost.

CAUSES OF THE FLOODING IN

PAKISTAN
The current flooding in Pakistan is mainly due to
climate change. It is the unusual climate-change-
led seasonal cycle of land temperature in Pakistan
that has exacerbated the monsoon rainfall and
produced the hugest volume of water in the northern
mountainous region of the country ever recorded in
the history, causing floods in the Indus river
basin. Various scientific studies have already
shown that the monsoon regions of the world will be
affected by climate change more than any other
regions on Earth.

It is high time that the world in general and

carbon-emitting industrial countries in particular
10

showed responsibility and extended help to Pakistan

not only in relief activities for the flood
affectees at the moment, but also for developing a
sustainable adaptation mechanism in the country
to mitigate climate-change-led calamities of such
kind in future.

EFFECTS

• HEALTH CRISIS GROWN BY

FLOODS IN PAKISTAN

As the floods in Pakistan continue, the full impact

on people’s health in Pakistan is beginning to
unfold.
UNICEF, the United Nation’s Children’s Fund, is
aware of over 200,000 confirmed cases of acute
diarrhoea, 263,000 cases of skin diseases and over
200,000 acute respiratory infection cases diagnosed
in flood affected areas across Pakistan.The threat
of further spread of these and other waterborne
diseases in the flood affected areas remains a huge
concern for the agency.

For example, in one health clinic in Punjab over

80% of people were suffering from acute diarrhea.
In parts of Sindh and Balochistan, the number of
affected population is expected to increase as the
11

flood water enters new areas, submerging additional

villages. In some parts of the mountainous region
of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan flash
floods have washed away valley roads and bridges.
People are cut-off and need relief supplies and
services by helicopters.

FOOD-RELATED INFLATION

The devastating floods in Pakistan, which have

killed around 1,500 and displaced nearly 20
million, have also adversely impacted the food
supply chains. Nearly 17 million acres of
cultivated cropland has been lost to floods while
the loss of livestock could also be in millions.

The loss of crops from floods alone can cause huge

spikes in the price of necessary food items because
of uncertainty in the supply of grains, livestock,
etc. At the same time, almost 75 per cent of those
affected by floods are the ones who relied on
agriculture for sustenance. Even after the flood
waters recede, it will take months, if not more, to
resettle the internally displaced farm workers on
the land they once tilled, thus causing further
delays in domestic food production.

Compounding the devastating impact of floods are

two additional factors; the start of Ramazan in
 12

Pakistan, which has always been accompanied with

unexplained inflation, and the global wheat
shortage that has caused the price of wheat to
increase by 90 per cent since June 2010.

The triple convergence of floods, Ramazan, and

global wheat crisis suggests that low- and mid-
income households in Pakistan may face huge
increases in the price of food staples. Already,
markets in urban centres are reporting a 100 to 200
per cent increase in the price of food items over
the pre-flood levels. Onions are selling for Rs 80
per kg and tomatoes are averaging around Rs 120 per
kg even in Islamabad, which was spared by the flood
waters. The pre- and post-flood prices of food
items in Rawalpindi-Islamabad, as shown in the
table below, reveal huge inflationary pressures.

ITEM PRICE AFTER PRICE IN WEEK

FLOODS PRECEDING
(RUPEES) FLOODS
(RUPEES)
Tomatoes (kg) 120 40
Shimla Mirch 80 40
(kg)
Lady finger 70 35
(kg)
Green chilli 80 40
(kg)
Lemon (kg) 80 40
Tori (kg) 80 40
Aubergine (kg) 60 30
Arvi (kg) 70 40
Bitter gourd 70 40
(kg)

Even without the flood-related inflation in food

prices, 50 per cent Pakistanis were assessed food
insecure by the World Food Programme in 2008. The
triple convergence of floods, Ramazan, and global
13

wheat crisis may cause further price hikes and

render a much larger proportion of Pakistanis
unable to secure basic food items at affordable
prices.

While the floods of such magnitude may be a new

phenomenon in Pakistan, price hikes during Ramazan
have been the norm not just in Pakistan, but in
most Muslim majority countries such as Indonesia
and Egypt. In the past few years, flour, sugar, and
other staple foods initially disappeared from
markets and later emerged at inflated prices during
Ramazan. This happens even after the governments’
explicit promises to check illegal hoarding and
price inflation.

• EFFECTS OF FLOOD ON
CHILDRENS AND
RECOMMENDATION TO
OVERCOME

Pakistan has been hit by the worst-ever floods in

living memory with millions of people affected. The
loss of infrastructure is incredible. Pakistan’s
brilliant strategic asset, resource and wealth i.e.
six million children are suffering from devastating
floods: lost, orphaned or stricken with diseases.
They are indeed the most vulnerable victims of the
14

nation’s worst-ever natural disaster. Millions have

been hit by the floods. Millions had lost their
livelihoods, there were heart-wrenching scenes of
destruction in Sindh and South Punjab. Many have
lost families and friends, while many more are in a
state of panic. It is clear that the people of
Pakistan will need support from all over the world.
In this context, the international donors’
community is particularly concerned and it has
showed its interest to provide generous funding and
assistance for child related programmes and
projects. Nevertheless, child welfare is an
important but the most neglected sector in
Pakistan. It is, however, need of the hour to
examine this catastrophe from the children’s
perspective. A special task force or National
Consortium on Children can be set up with a vision,
mandate and policy guidelines. The task force can
add new dimensions to child rehabilitation and
development on priority basis. This consortium can
be tasked to build a long-term, strategic
partnership and coalition building on children
related issues, thus strengthening the impact of
collective work and relief efforts undertaken by
the provincial and federal governments in this
context. The consortium can also help explore ways
to increase effectiveness of programmes by
generating and sharing resources and evaluating
things from a fresh perspective.
The consortium’s mandate should be to ensure that
all laws, policies, programmes and administrative
mechanisms are in consonance with the child rights
perspective, as enshrined in the Constitution of
Pakistan and also the UN Convention on the Rights
of the Child. In order to touch every child, it
must seek deeper penetration to communities and
households.It should ensure, protect, promote and
defend child rights in the country.
15

As climatic changes are taking place at a fast

pace, new strategies for management are needed.
16

Flood Recovery Could Push Pakistan

to the Edge
The sole mercy amid the growing hardship has been
an increase in much-needed aid. A special session
of the U.N. General Assembly last week saw the
international community nearly quadruple its
support to date. "We have been able to mobilize
$815.58 million," Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistan's
Foreign Minister, tells TIME. He says $495 million
has been committed and a further $325 million has
been pledged — "almost double what the U.N.
initially appealed for." The biggest contribution
comes from the U.S., which has marshaled a total of
$150 million. The aid comes on the heels of the
World Bank's announcement of a $1 billion
concessional loan and the Asian Development Bank's
offer of a $2 billion emergency loan for
reconstruction. Still, the sums could fall short of
what will be required. By some estimates, the cost
of the flooding could reach up to $15 billion. "At
this stage, it is difficult to give a figure on the
scale of the damage," says Qureshi. "It's an
evolving situation. At least for the next three
weeks, it will continue. The monsoon season is not
over yet, and there are indications that the
eastern rivers that were not in high flood are now
rising." The accelerated fundraising will dim the
roar of critics who have alleged that the civilian
government was "too corrupt" to be trusted by the
world. But the additional heavy borrowing, while it
comes interest-free, has spiked fears of a further
deepening of Pakistan's debt crisis. "The debt-
servicing burden will just kill the country," says
Ahsan Iqbal, a leading member of former Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif's opposition party. "We won't
be able to build anything in this country of our
own." Nearly half of Pakistan's budget is devoted
to debt servicing and military spending. As of
17

July, external debt stood at $55.5 billion.

According to International Monetary Fund (IMF)
projections, that figure will swell to $74 billion
by 2015, as Islamabad will seek further loans after
the floods. Other critics are demanding that the
government ask for its debts to be written off.
"It's easy to be critical," replies Qureshi, "but
what are the alternatives?" Pakistan, which was on
the verge of bankruptcy two years ago, is dependent
on an $11.3 billion IMF support package. Before the
floods, it was struggling to meet the loan's
requirements. Now it will be impossible to do so.
The Pakistani Finance Minister will meet with IMF
officials on Monday to try and relax the terms of
the loan. As a result of the national tragedy, the
budget deficit is set to grow, inflation will rise,
and economic growth is being projected to slow by
1.5% — all areas in which the IMF had wanted to see
progress.

LOSSES

As reports of losses from tail-end areas start to

pour in, the number of houses damaged and people
affected by floods in Sindh has surpassed the
figures for other provinces.
The losses in Sindh are still rising.
Data compiled by the Federal Flood Commission on
the basis of reports submitted by provincial
governments show that out of the 6.378 million
people affected in the country, 2.45 million belong
18

to Sindh, 1.9 million to Punjab, 1.56 million to

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 476,845 to Balochistan and
87,000 people to Gilgit-Baltistan. Of the 10,963
affected villages, 4,295 are located in Sindh,
3,132 in Punjab, 2,584 in Balochistan, 581 in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 371 in Gilgit-Baltistan. The
cropped area inundated in Sindh is 1.552 million
acres, Punjab 1.471 million acres, Balochistan
630,705 acres, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 466,626 acres,
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) 6,500
acres and Gilgit-Baltistan 9,000 acres. The total
cropped areas damaged countrywide is 4.135 million
acres. At least 211,375 houses have been destroyed
or damaged in Sindh, 178,493 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
91,210 in Punjab, 75,261 in Balochistan, 2,820 in
Gilgit-Baltistan, 1,432 in Fata and 1,481 in Azad
Kashmir. The total number of houses destroyed or
damaged is 567,461. Of the 274,692 houses
destroyed, 108,279 were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
75,261 in Balochistan, 44,752 in Punjab and 40,667
in Sindh. Of the 1,556 flood-related deaths
confirmed, 1,067 belong to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 183
to Gilgit-Baltistan, 103 to Punjab, 44 to Sindh, 24
to Balochistan and 64 to Fata.
The livestock losses are also highest in Sindh
where over 126,200 cattle head have been killed.
Balochistan has lost at least 17,926 cattle head,
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 8,438, Gilgit-Baltistan 4,669,
Punjab 748, AJK 400 and Fata 15.
19

FLOOD IN SINDH

Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) issued a

fresh advisory regarding flood in different rivers
and water levels in various dams and barrages.
Director General Dr Qamar uz Zaman Chaudhry said
that as many as 980,000 cusec of flood water is
passing from Chashma and the flood water at Taunsa
would likely to remain 850,000 cusec and 950,000
during August 1st to 3rd.
At Mlthon Kot flood water of about 200,000 cusec
would be added from Jhelum and Chenab rivers,
whereas about 750,000 and 850,000 cusec would reach
from Tunsa.The flood water in Sindh at Guddu would
start rising from 500,000 cusec to 600,000 cusec
(High Flood) on August 4 and peak of (950,000 to
10,50,000 cusec) would (Exceptionally high Flood
level) pass from Guddu sometime on August 6 and 7.
The flood water at Sukkur would also start rising
to 500,000 to 600,000 cusec (High Flood level) on
August 4 and would attain exceptionally High Flood
level of 900,000 to 10,00,000 cusecs on August 7.
Inundation and riverine flooding in all low lying
areas of Districts of Sukkur, Larkana, Nawabshah,
Hyderabad, Nausheroferoze, and Ghotki is imminent.
Flood in River Sindh inundated villages in Katcha
area as relief operation of Pakistan army is
underway in affected areas.
The inflow of water at Guddu Barrage is 2,92,890
cusecs and outflow is 2,79,738 cusecs. Several
villages submerged in Katcha area as water level is
on rise. Water level is also rising at Sukkur
20

Barrage.
DDO Sukkur Muhammad Sameer said 20 relief camps
have been established for the affectees. In Dadu,
district administration has imposed emergency and
started evacuating of people whereas 41 camps have
been set up in the area.
On the other hand, Provincial Minister for
Fisheries Zahid Bhargari said high floods poses
threat for the population of Hyderabad and
Hyderabad, Qasimabad and taluqa Latifabad declared
unsafe. He said irrigation department will be
responsible for any probable damage.
Meanwhile, contingents of army have reached in
sensitive areas of Kashmore,Larkana, Nawabshah,
Thatta, Jamshoro, Dadu, Khairpur, Ghotki and
Naushero Feroz.

HISTORY
Here is insight into the multiple disasters that
have plagued the province, including floods.
Sindh’s history with floods, that there is a dearth
of statistical evidence for flood-related disasters
that occurred in 1882, 1887, 1903, 1914, 1917,
1921, 1930 and 1948. This could potentially result
in difficulties in finding precedents.
21

It is striking to note that some 400, 000 people

were affected by the 1947 floods and nearly 259,586
acres of croplands were affected in eight
districts, including Sukkur, Nawabshah, Larkana,
Dadu and Thatta in 1973. Additionally, in the 1975
floods, 1.13 million people were affected and 1.7
acres of land destroyed. A more severe situation
was witnessed when heavy rains triggered flood in
1976 which affected 28,260 villages in Sindh,
displaced 3,276 people and claimed 99 lives. The
livelihood of cattle farmer was impacted with the
loss of 9,087 cattle. It is equally puzzling to
note that similar events have come to pass in
subsequent years. The ominous picture painted by
these figures demonstrate that the province is
prone to rapid-onset hazards such as flood, but
this cannot serve to indicate that has happened in
the past will happen again.

IMPACTS OF FLOOD IN SINDH

ECONOMIC IMPACT
There are varying estimates of how much economic
loss has been caused.The World Bank and the Asian
Development Bank have agreed to carry out damage
assessment which they hope to complete by mid-
October.But rough estimates by experts put total
damage anywhere between $25bn and $40bn (£16bn-
£26bn).Minister for Food and Agriculture Nazar
Mohammad Gondal says some 20% of the country's
total cropland has been inundated, causing a loss
of $2.8bn.This is obviously going to impact on the
country's textile and sugar industries.Experts
expect inflation to exceed 12% in coming months,
which will obviously hit the most vulnerable
segment of the population the hardest.Textile
exports, which constitute Pakistan's major foreign
exchange earner, have exceeded the targets for this
22

year but if agriculture is not put back on track,

they may suffer and the country's gross domestic
product (GDP) growth may take a hit.

FOOD
Pakistan had a bumper crop last year so there is no
immediate food shortage in the country.A
substantial amount of farmland has been inundated
by flood waters But millions of acres of pulse and
rice crops have been washed away, which may lead to
shortages and high prices.The situation may
deteriorate if farmers miss the winter sowing
season, which starts in September and continues
until November.The loss of cattle may also affect
supply and prices of dairy products.Experts
estimate that 200,000 cattle have died in the
floods, and some 10 million are now at risk due to
shortage of water and upkeep.

SHORT-TERM REHABILITATION
While floods are still ravaging vast areas in the
southern Sindh province, the government is under
pressure to return life in the provinces of Khyber
Pukhtunkhwa and Punjab to normal.It has already
announced incentives for canola sowing in the
cotton belt of Punjab province next month when the
flood waters are expected to recede.But the farming
community has lost almost all its resources and the
government will need to spend huge amounts of money
to facilitate land preparation, and the provision
of free seeds and fertilisers.If foreign assistance
is not available, the government may have to cut
its own development budget to provide assistance to
farmers.
23

SECURITY ISSUES
Problems may worsen if the Taliban attack Western
aid workers in the flood zone.There are already
fears that security concerns may drive up the
expenses of UN and other Western aid workers
delivering relief in the region.It may also slow
down relief work in the affected areas,
intensifying the discontent already discernible
among displaced people who believe the government
has not done enough to help them.Sluggish aid
delivery and delays in restoration of vital
infrastructure are also likely to heighten fears of
increased urbanisation.Tens of thousands of people
displaced by the floods have taken refuge in urban
centres of Punjab and Sindh.If the funding to
rebuild their houses and the restoration of their
infrastructure is slow, they may stay on in the
cities.This will put pressure on already crowded
Pakistani cities and exacerbate ethnic tensions,
particularly in Sindh province.

DISEASES CAUSED BY FLOOD IN

SINDH
“Around 0.3 million has fallen ill with various
diseases and if proper sanitation facilities and
clean drinking water is not provided to the
survivors, 3.5 million lives could be lost,” There
were 63,331 cases of diarrhea, 14,247 of
gastroenteritis, 57,368 of chest diseases, 43,002
of malaria, 69,599 of skin diseases 1,647 of heart
strokes, 25,396 of eye ailments, and 99,581 of
other diseases. Besides, 173 people were bitten by
snakes, out of which one of them died. The number
of waterborne disease patients is rising with each
24

passing day, and more fund are required to fulfill

the healthcare requirements of the survivors.

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR

FLOOD DISASTER IN SINDH
Heavy rains occurred in Balochistan in the end of
June not only brought disaster in Balochistan but
the districts of Sindh on its Eastern border also
received devastating flash floods. Hill torrents
originating from Balochistan entered Sindh through
Khirthar hills and inundated vast areas in the
districts of Dadu and Shahdad Kot/Qambar. Thousands
lost their abodes and were marooned in deep pond of
water for several days. Stories of their miseries
and negligence of government machinery are widely
reported in media. The unprecedented gushing flood
from Mula and Bolan rivers badly shattered the
flood protection network and the MNV/RBOD network
breached at several places bringing havoc to local
communities. The floods once again exposed the
vulnerability of the drainage project executed by
WAPDA on the Right Bank of Indus. A careful review
of the flood disaster reveals that the disaster was
not merely a natural calamity but the part of
credit also goes to bad engineering, poor
floodmanagement strategies and virtually collapsed
institutional systems. There is no doubt that
Irrigation Department made best possible efforts to
manage the flood but the approach was reactionary.
Knowing the climatic and topographic features of
the area and the history of high floods,
infrastructure building in the area required a more
cautious approach but the policy wizards (both
engineering and political) hardly give a thought to
disaster before it really occurs and take its toll.
25

NUMBER OF AFFECTEES &

RELIEF PROVIDED BY THE
GOVERNMENT

As many as 3.7 million people have been affected

owing to the floods in the province of Sindh so far
while the losses are tentatively estimated at about
Rs. 30 billion which may go up to Rs. 40 billion.
This was stated by the Sindh Chief Minister, Syed
Qaim Ali Shah.He said that because of the rescue
operation launched by the Government of Sindh in
collaboration with the Pakistan Army, Navy and Air
Force as well as Rangers, lakhs of people were
shifted to the safer places.
The Chief Minister said that the death toll
remained at 11 in the province due to the floods as
the main attention of the government of Sindh was
to save the lives of the people. Qiam Ali
Shah described the losses owing to floods in the
province as ‘colossal’ and ‘unprecedented’.
He said that the task of rehabilitation has been
quite a challenging one.The Chief Minister said
that 618 relief camps have been established in
every district and that each one has some 700 to
1,200 people.He said that 2,600 flood affectees
have been temporarily rehabilitated in Karachi’s
Razaqabad area. Some 1.000 more have been provided
26

temporary lodging at the flats of the Workers

Welfare Board.
Some more would also come.Qaim Ali Shah said that a
‘tent village’ would also be set up in Hyderabad
where 1,000 tents would be erected.He stated that
the Government of Sindh has allocated Rs. 10
billion towards the rescue and rehabilitation.
Chief Minister said that we want to divert the
flood water to Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD)
because of its considerable capacity for water
intake.He stated that 17 districts in the province
of Sindh have been declared as calamity hit areas.
Qaim Ali Shah said that the government has so far
distributed 150,000 bags of food among the flood
affectees.He stated that Ms. Bakhtawar Bhutto
Zardari has donated 6,000 bags of food to the
province of Sindh as she has also donated such bags
to other provinces in the country.
Chief Minister said that these are big bags which
contain food for 10 to 15 days for a family and
contain Atta, rice, ghee, sugar and tea etc.

INTERNATIONAL AIDS

According to Pakistani authorities, the floods have

destroyed 1.7 million hectares of farm land out of
a total cultivable area of 23 million hectares,
including 614,000 hectares of rice cultivation.
Also, hundreds of thousands of tons of wheat
reserves were washed away in the floods, forcing
the country to depend almost entirely on imports
and international aid for its food consumption.
27

Earlier this month, the UN had appealed to the

international community to collectively contribute
at least $459 million in emergency aid to flood-hit
Pakistan. The agency recently said that donors have
given 60 per cent of the requested aid needed to
fund emergency response.
The United States has so far provided more than $90
million in aid to Pakistan since the floods began.
In addition, the U.S. has also provided
helicopters, boats, pre-fabricated bridges and
water-filtration units for rescue and relief
efforts.UNICEF vaccination programmes have reached
more than 770,000 women and children so far. 1.9
million people are receiving safe drinking water
provided through UNICEF and partners who have also
distributed 450,000 water cleaning tablets and
sachets.According to latest Government reports, 17
million people are affected UNICEF is still trying
to reach the most severely affected population of
approximately 8 million including at least 3.5
million children. Approximately 1,500 people have
been reported dead and 2,000 injured. The UN has
expressed ‘high concern’ saying that whole cities
have had to be evacuated and UN humanitarian
agencies continue to deliver relief supplies to
flood victims in their hundreds of thousands. Low-
lying parts of Hyderabad are reported to be
evacuated, likewise Jacobabad. There are some
notable private efforts also as the people of
Karachi reach out to those in need and the internet
and blogosphere details their efforts. Despite the
best efforts of agencies large and small we are
going to be dependent on external support.
That support is now coming from a range of sources.
There are four Afghan helicopters now flying in
Sindh, with Pakistani pilots alongside their Afghan
colleagues. Helicopters from the UAE are here, and
from the Americans. A Japanese helicopter unit is
en-route. The UN estimates that it needs another 40
heavy-lift helicopters – the World Food Programme
28

is bringing five in the next few days. They are

battling to combat waterborne disease and food and
shelter shortages, problems that are going to
persist in the short-to-medium term.

Malaysia Sends 40 Doctors and 10

Volunteers to Help Flood Victims in
Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato Sri Mohd Najib
Bin Tun Razzaq has directed Putera 1Malaysia Club
to send fifty (50) volunteers to Pakistan next
month to complement Government of Pakistan’s
efforts to provide relief to more than 20 million
flood victims. Datuk Abdul Aziz informed the High
Commissioner that an advance four member team was
being send to Pakistan on 26th August, 2010
consisting of doctors, logistics experts, guides
and a researcher to assess the flood situation,
determine the needs of the flood affectees and make
recommendations for an effective plan to provide
maximum relief to the flood victims.plane from the
State of Qatar arrived at Chaklala Airbase in the
early morning of Friday on a Humanitarian Relief
Mission, with a team of Medical Specialists, Rescue
Operations group and medical aid for the flood
affected people of Pakistan. Mr. Mohammed Harib
Mattar, Charge d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of
the State of Qatar in Islamabad, Brig. Abdullah
Abujsoom, Commander of the Force of the Mission,
Brig. (Pharmacist) Mohammed Al Amri, Deputy
Commander of the Force of the Mission, received the
aid aircraft, according to handout. The plane was
loaded with medicines, bandages, medical equipment
and relief materials. The team will open a field
hospital in Noshehra to provide medical support to
the people displaced and affected by the floods.
29

VOICES OF FLOOD-HIT PEOPLE

FROM SINDH PROVINCE
Pakistan is facing the worst floods of the century.
Many have lost their loved ones, houses, crops and
belongings.

Here are voices of flood-hit people. Floods

overflowed from the River Indus, and hill torrents
from the Suleiman mountain range breached the
earthen embankment in the south-east of Kot Mithan
in Sindh Province on Friday night, inundating
surrounding villages and the western part of the
town and rendering thousands of people homeless.

"I am fifty years old and I have never seen Kot

Mithan flooded. I never even heard of it," says Jam
Bugho, a small cotton grower. "Scrabbling knee-deep
through the water carrying two of my nephews on my
shoulders I have made out of the village along with
my wife. Before we [left] my son went to look for
cows, just to see if he could manage to take a few
with him, if not all, but he did not return. We
decided not to wait for him and joined others."

"Is there any way to know what might have happened

with my son? My buffalos, cows and my goats?" asks
Bugho.

Mohammad Naeem, 27, of Wasti Kallar village,

was also there with his whole family. "I got
married just four years ago. I have three small
children, an ailing mother and a blind father. My
wife is pregnant. There is water flowing where my
home was. I have lost 20 acres of cotton crop and
two acres of sugarcane. The water has swept away
all the grain we had stored. I have lost my cows
and goats too.
30

"When I asked the boat owner to help me get my

cattle and some grain from the house which had not
collapsed yet, he asked for 10,000 Rupees. I had no
money, not even one third of what he was demanding.
I offered him a goat but he outrightly refused.
Then I approached the government rescue agency
people, who refused on account that my village fell
beyond its area of operation.

"So now we are here, in front of you, empty handed.

Look at the sky above and the hovering clouds - I
have no place to hide these small innocent children
and old parents if it rains now."
31

OUR OPINION
“God Help Those Who Help Themselves”
We should help our Pakistani brothers who have been
suffering from the devastation of this calamity.
First, we should provide them the basic necessities
of life. We should provide them wearing stuff,
eating stuff and households materials.
“It is not how much we give but how
much love we put into giving”
Since they have completely ruined so we must
support them by providing them the basic
necessities of life directly or through any
trustworthy trust like ALAMAGIR TRUST, EDHI, CHIPA
AND PAKISTAN FORCES.
We must do something for the education of their
children like we should provide some copies some
books for all levels so that their children can
continue their education at that place where they
are living nowadays.
On government level, Government must provide them
shelter first for their better dwelling.
Government officials are getting a lot of stuff &
dollars in terms of aid; they must distribute all
that honestly to the ruined people.
If Government plays their role honestly and
responsibly then INSHAALLAH we will get rid of this
calamity due to flood.
About 1 thing I want to request to my Pakistani
nation that we must apologize to ALLAH for our sins
& try to live our life according to the preaching
of Islam so that we can get the mercy of ALLAH.
Always try to make ALLAH happy. We are muslims so
we must behave like a muslims who always trust
ALLAH in every walk of his life so be united and
contented.
32

“Do not pray for easy lives, Pray to be

stronger man! Do not pray for tasks equal
to your powers, Pray for powers equal to
your tasks!”
In the end I pray to ALLAH to give us courage,
power & tolerance to get out of this catastrophe
(AMEEN).
“Life can only be understood backwards
but it must be lived forwards”
In the light of this quote we must think and do
about our present and forget about past that means
forget about calamity but think about getting rid
of this calamity.