by Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan for the Saker blog
Preliminary estimates show that the country has already suffered heavy damages, including a death toll of more than 1000 precious lives, injured around 2000 persons, and damaged houses, crops, animals, and property. Initial estimates show it is worth $5.5 billion. But, it is just an initial report, and heavy rains are expected next few days. It is scary that the actual damages might be much more than the official figures as the compilation of actual data is a rather difficult and time taking matter.
In Sindh and Punjab provinces, sugarcane and cotton crops have been destroyed completely while onion, tomato, and Kharif chilies have been partially damaged. The loss of cotton crops alone has been estimated at $2.6 billion. Experts believe Pakistan’s textile and sugar export could drop by $1 billion.
At least 2 million tonnes of wheat stored at the government’s warehouses in Sindh have been spoiled due to rains and floods, threatening the country’s food security, seriously.
The destruction in the agriculture sector means that Pakistan will not only encounter a supply shortage for industries but there could also be a seed crisis in the country.
Officials have estimated that over 800,000 cattle heads have been lost to rains and floods this season.
The floods have also destroyed road and communication networks in four provinces. Officials have put the estimated damages at $2 billion.
The damage suffered by under construction Mohmand dam and headworks at different locations has added to the flood losses.
In 2022, Pakistan received higher rainfall than usual. The province of Sindh received 784% higher rain than usual and Baluchistan received 500% more rain than normal. Higher than average monsoon rains were also recorded in India and Bangladesh. The Indian Ocean is one of the fastest warming regions in the world, warming by an average of 1°C (as opposed to the global warming average of 0.7°C). The rise in sea surface temperatures is believed to increase monsoon rainfall. In addition, southern Pakistan experienced back-to-back heat waves in May and June, which were record-setting and themselves made more likely by climate change. These created a strong thermal low that brought heavier rains than usual. The heatwaves also triggered glacial flooding in Gilgit Baltistan.
Heavy monsoon rainfall and floods have affected 30 million people in Pakistan since mid-June, destroying nearly 218,000 houses and damaging some two million more. Sindh and Baluchistan are the two most affected provinces in terms of human and infrastructural impact. Millions of livestock have been killed, most of them in the province of Baluchistan, while the destruction of over 3,600 km of roads and 145 bridges has impeded access across flood-affected areas. Over 17,560 schools were damaged or destroyed as well. At the request of the Baluchistan Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), a multi-sectoral rapid needs assessment was undertaken in 10 districts of Baluchistan to identify priority needs and gaps across sectors. Humanitarian partners are supporting the government-led response in affected areas, redirecting existing resources to meet the most urgent needs while working to further scale up the response.
Pakistan has declared a national emergency and seeking assistance from the International community. Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood had a briefing session with Pakistan’s Ambassadors/heads of Missions in various capitals regarding the current calamity faced by the nation due to unprecedented monsoon floods. He highlighted the efforts led by the Government of Pakistan with the help of development partners including the United Nations, IFIs, and many countries and organizations to address the daunting challenges posed by the devastating floods. The Foreign Secretary emphasized the importance of coordinated and concerted efforts for rescue and relief in the immediate phase to be followed by reconstruction and rehabilitation in the long term. The holistic needs assessment carried out by the Government of Pakistan in coordination with the UN Country Team was shared along with details of the loss of life and damage done to infrastructure and property. It was important to mitigate the inter-related impacts of the floods including food shortage, communicable diseases, loss of shelter, non-availability of water and sanitation facilities, etc.
The Foreign Secretary urged the Missions to play a proactive role in mobilizing resources and humanitarian assistance from the Pakistani diaspora and the international community to support the national efforts. The Ambassadors were also briefed about the UN Flash Appeal to be launched on 30 August simultaneously in Geneva and Islamabad.
The Ambassadors were briefed on the wide range of activities being undertaken by them to enhance international awareness and garner support for the rescue and relief efforts of the Government. Views were exchanged on close coordination, swift information-sharing, and a range of actions to be taken in support of the ongoing operations.
The people of Pakistan have always shown exemplary resilience, brotherhood, compassion, generosity, and commitment in the wake of such natural disasters. Pakistan is amongst the top ten disaster-prone countries due to climate change and the recent flash floods are another manifestation of this fact. It is important that the international community shows solidarity with Pakistan and reinforces its national efforts in combating the impacts of such natural disasters.
However, despite early warnings, the Government was unable to take preventive measures. Experts have advised the Government much earlier that heavy floods are expected this year. My articles: “Climate Change has a severe impact on Pakistan” https://www.globalvillagespace.com/climate-change-has-a-severe-impact-on-pakistan/ and “Collective efforts are required to address the wildfire issue”. http://www.southasia.com.pk/2022/06/13/taming-the-fire/ may be referred.
Although Pakistan’s economy was not in a good shape to take absolute preventive measures, the priority of the government and will was also questionable. The Government indulged in unnecessary political turmoil and kept flood warnings aside.
Our sympathies are with the victims and their families. May Allah forgive all the dead ones, and pray for the quick recovery of the injured person. Being the most philanthropist nation, it is urged that all individuals may extend a helping hand generously. Donate in cash or in kind to the right and deserving person or through trustworthy and reliable NGOs, or organizations. May Allah reward you.
Author: Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, Founding Chair GSRRA, Sinologist (ex-Diplomat), Editor, Analyst, Non-Resident Fellow of CCG (Center for China and Globalization). (E-mail: awanzamir@yahoo.com).
“Donate in cash or in kind to the right and deserving person or through trustworthy and reliable NGOs, or organizations.”
Well there’s a good question. Just who would be those trustworthy and reliable folks be?
Have not done a deep dive on the Empires ability to the weather, but given the trend towards weaponizing just about everything it would not surprise me at all that this is not a natural process playing out.
Just another huge group of people not making headlines as they die because the Empire is too busy distributing money they extort from us to their partners in crime, to ‘fight’ the evil Russkies.
Its so easy for western gvts to overlook history they are not involved in, but still somehow believe they have the answer so many before them did not have.
But they dont, they only have the ability to throw taxpayer money at attempting to control a said area and extract resources to pay for there expertise.
And east of Iran is no exception.
In the mid 1800’s all the land east to India belonged to Iran, they found it difficult and expensive to maintain so elected to leave it to the local people to suffer the consequences of being born in a random hostile environment.
So the hostilities are back, as are the expenses to resolve them, yet no one has learned nor resolved anything since the mid to late 1800’s about the environment or the cost to maintain it, but the message is always the same, more money for the suffering people, and more donations for the gvt to control the suffering people.
What’s the real cause of Pakistan’s 700% increase in rainfall? Weather manipulation, or weather disruptions caused by this century’ solar minimum? Using weather as a weapon is nothing new, and as methods are improved anything is possible.
The annual precipitation in Balochistan (Quetta) and Sindh (Karachi, Hyderabad) is around 200 mm. It is not clear for which period the numbers 748% (anyway, to exact to be true, accept it was for a specific station and a specific time span) and ~500% (nice estimate and as such more believable) are given. Balochistan is in large parts desert highland without much vegetation, receiving precipitation only in spring – every heavy rain will result in landslides and flooding, as was the case recently in Pakistan and Iran in 2019 (→ Shiraz flood 2019). The monsoon took the wrong way … Sindh gots usually only small parts of the monsoon, but nothing else.
Nothing strange here, no need for human ill-will. Pakistan has a lot of floods from time to time, the flood in 2010 had much worser effects.
The last time I paid any attention to the “Climate Change” hysteria, which was then called “Global Warming”, I discovered that the sun controls earth’s weather and that all the burning, logging, erosion, caused by mankind, was irrelevant to the weather.
I guess it’s just an attempt to appeal to their Western masters so called “humanity” in aiding Pakistan. Meanwhile the Western sociopaths are pouring complete death and destruction on the Ukraine, with thousands upon thousands of tons of weaponry.
I am so saddened by the death, destruction and havoc caused by these floods to your country, Prof Awan. I wish for as effective a mitigation of all the difficulties as can realistically be hoped for. I hope, as you suggest, that your people unite in the interests of the whole of society in coping with the crisis.
I have a question. What effect do you think this situation will have on the current political crisis in Pakistan? Will it unite people even more in support for Imran Khan, or will it push the solution of the political crisis to the back-burner, or exacerbate it, or what?
The US puppet regime that replaced Imran Khan recently should ask the US for the money.
This is a tragedy. Many are in refuge camps and many families with children face the prospect of having to go hungry. Pakistan certainly did not need this after such a tumultuous beginning to this year.
Any ideas on worthy charity organizations? The ones I used to donate to have lost my trust due to corruption. (I live in the U.S. and corruption is a huge problem here) I actually want my donation to go to a family and not 95% to administration costs.
I used to donate to Phoenix Fund (in Siberia) through Global Giving, a US outfit. That ended when the US decided to boycott Russia. So I decided to toughen my soft boycott of the US and cut off Global Giving. It wasn’t their fault, and Phoenix received the money. I don’t recommend Global, but you could check them out.
So Pakistan do you still have time for sunni – shia fights. Isn’t this disaster enough for you or you want more.
Just stuff the entire population on boats and aircraft and move them to Europe and North America.
It is true: despite these Sunni / Shiia, Sint and Panshabi divisions, the people have highly developed sense of solidary and despite all poverty are a society of a hospitality rarely found on the entire Planet, – much more than e.g. Northern Europeans.
I had in 2006 in Kashmir the best examples of solidarity and helpfulness of the population among themselves while the Yanks brought their helicopters from the neighboring Astan and demanded for each transport into the mountains 10000 US$, – but presented over the usual PR – media armies their great selflessness to a hypocritical public in Europe and America.
This policy was even promoted by Islamabad because many aid funds could seep away unnoticed. The Reality was that this led to gigantic changes of the general land rights. (You loose your land if you don’t maintain it)
This in turn led to an increase in large-scale land ownership, and it is precisely this development that the population has been suffering from for decades. This sabotage is imitated from the outside and executed by internal forces that were previously corrupted. The coup against Umrandung Kahn made this abundantly clear.