Heavy rains and floods have greatly affected Pakistan once again. Due to the drastic climate changes, monsoon flooding is becoming a major issue for the country. This year, the floods have affected most parts of Pakistan impacting over 33 million people.

Rainfall totals for both KP (163.9mm/+58%) and Punjab (141.7mm/+52%) were much above normal, with 2022 ranking as the fourth wettest August for KP since 1961. Rainfall contributes around 40% to the monsoon (JAS) and 19% to annual rainfall on average. It’s worth noting that on a regional scale, April had much above-average precipitation in Sindh (442.8mm), Balochistan (154.9mm), and GB (55.7mm, or +233%).

Over 500,000 more dwellings were reported damaged or destroyed in Pakistan last week. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported more than 1.17 million damaged houses and about 566,000 destroyed houses as of September 8. Pakistan is facing a shortfall in electricity production leading to a load shedding problem. Groundwater extraction through green energy will be an adaptive and mitigating measure to cope with climate change. This alternative energy source will not only save money but improve your productivity leading to reduce threats to the environment by carbon emission.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan coordinates federal disaster relief efforts, including the participation of the Pakistani armed forces in various ways. Apparently, Sindh and Baluchistan are the worst hit provinces. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reports the following flood damage from June 14, 2022, to September 23, 2022:There were 1,606 fatalities (45% from Sindh, 19% from Baluchistan, 19% from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and 12% from Punjab) and 12,863 injuries.Over 33 million people are afflicted by this issue (44% in Sindh, 28% in Baluchistan, 13% in KP, and 15% in Punjab).Over a million livestock were lost (more than half in Baluchistan and a third in SindhA total of 1.82 million homes in Sindh have been damaged, with another million suffering minor damage and 74,289 homes completely destroyed. Out of the 67981 homes damaged in Punjab, 25854 have been completely demolished. There are 37,525 total destructions and 37,563 damage reports in KP. Damage estimates for homes in Baluchistan are reported as both verified and preliminary. Preliminary estimates put the number of completely demolished homes in Baluchistan at 65,000. However, official data only shows 20,027 as completely destroyed and 72,235 as damaged.More than 8,100 kilometers of roads were destroyed (64% in Sindh), and 392 bridges were damaged (42% in Sindh and 27% in KP).Moreover, Sindh has nearly 88% of all damaged or destroyed houses – over 1.52 million houses – and the highest number of human casualties: 577 people killed and 8,321 people injured, out of a total of nearly 1,400 deaths and more than 12,700 injuries in Pakistan, including at least 496 children killed and nearly 4,000 children injured.

According to reports, 664,000 people are staying in relief camps, more than 190,000 earlier than a week. Many more are said to be residing in host communities. According to UNHCR, approximately 800,000 refugees reside in areas declared “calamity affected” by the Government of Pakistan, including 210,000 in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; 170,000 in Quetta, Baluchistan; 77,700 in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; and 71,500 in Karachi, Sindh. Early illness monitoring reveals that diarrhea, malaria, acute respiratory infections, skin and eye infections, and typhoid affect thousands of individuals. Increased dengue cases have been recorded in refugee villages in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In contrast, an acute watery diarrhea (AWD) epidemic has allegedly afflicted 45 districts in Baluchistan, Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad Capital Territory. Nearly half of impacted families in Balochistan’s evaluated districts derive their living from livestock, with 36% reporting loss of at least one livestock asset, 46% reporting damage to livestock shelters, and 29% reporting loss of animal feed supplies. According to NDMA data, about 500,000 animals have been lost due to rainfall and floods in Balochistan, accounting for 66% of the almost 755,000 livestock mortality documented nationally. It has been observed that the above damages are prone to Flash flood hazards. We need special measures like efficient forecasting mechanisms and community awareness campaigns that are adopted to avert the loss of precious lives and property in these areas.