From 15 June to October 2022, floods in Pakistan killed 1,739 people, and caused about US$40 billion in damage. The immediate causes of the floods were heavier than usual monsoon rains and melting glaciers that followed a severe heat wave, both of which are linked to climate change.
On 25 August 2022, Pakistan declared a state of emergency because of the flooding.
The flooding was the world's deadliest flood since the 2020 South Asian floods and described as the worst in the country's history. It was also recorded as one of the costliest natural disasters in world history.
Background
The minister of climate change of Pakistan, Sherry Rehman, said that the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan had received more rainfall than the August average, with 784% and 500% more, respectively. Higher than average monsoon rains were also recorded in India and Bangladesh. The Indian Ocean is one of the fastest warming oceans in the world, warming by an average of 1 °C (1.8 °F) (while worldwide temperatures are now at 1.2 °C (2.2 °F) above pre-industrial temperatures, oceans in general are at around 0.7 °C (1.3 °F)). 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.
Pakistan contributes less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, but is one of the places most vulnerable to climate change. A study by an international team of climate scientists says that global heating made the flooding up to 50% worse and future floods more likely. However, some of the contributors to the severity of the flooding are local to the country. Unregulated construction and deforestation in Pakistan are factors that have worsened the floods.
Impact
1,739 people died, including 647 children, and an additional 12,867 were injured. Over 2.1 million people were left homeless because of the floods. These are the deadliest floods in Pakistan since 2010, when nearly 2,000 died in flooding, and the deadliest in the world since the 2020 South Asian floods. On 29 August, Sherry Rehman, the minister of climate change, claimed that "one-third" of the country was underwater, and there was "no dry land to pump the water out", adding that it was a "crisis of unimaginable proportions". Her claim received widespread media coverage. In contrast, the UNOSAT United Nations Satellite Centre reported that 75,000km2 had been flooded (around 9% of Pakistan) with USAID stating a maximum floodwater extent of 32,800 square miles (around 10% of Pakistan). A BBC report estimated that around 10–12% of Pakistan was flooded; the total area of standing floodwaters peaked between July and August at approximately 32,800 square miles (84,952 km2). Agricultural fields were also devastated by the flooding.
The floods affected 33 million people in Pakistan and destroyed 897,014 houses and damaged another 1,391,467. 1,164,270 livestock have been killed, most of them in the province of Balochistan, while destruction to 13,115 kilometres (8,149 mi) of roads and 439 bridges has impeded access across flood-affected areas. Over 22,000 schools were damaged or destroyed.
The Ministry of Finance estimated the damage of the flooding was ₨3.91 trillion (US$14.9 billion), and the economic loss was ₨3.99 trillion (US$15.2 billion). The government required ₨4.26 trillion (US$16.3 billion) to recover from the flooding. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) also concurred with the damage and the economic loss assessed by the government of Pakistan. However, another assessment done by the World Bank and the Pakistan Climate Change Council claimed that the damage of the flooding stood at US$40 billion.
As a result of the devastating superfloods in these areas, nearly 8 million displaced as their houses and properties were wiped away by the monsoon rains, floods and landslides in 2022. In this displacement, a sizable population of women was affected and were compelled to seek refuge and live in camps made of plastic tents exposed to the risk of gender based Violence (GBV). A reported number of 650,000 pregnant women was affected in these far-flung rural areas with already scarce resources for healthcare. The data shows a striking number of 73, 000 full term pregnant women, who were expected to give birth within a month living in an environment highly conducive of gastric and waterborne diseases posing threat to their situation. Due to the floods more than 1,500 healthcare facilities were partially or completely destroyed. Many of these women gave birth in the make-shift temporary health camps where administering operations and securing vaccines for the newly born children was a challenge for the health workers.
Aid workers warned that lack of clean drinking water caused an increase in waterborne diseases, namely diarrhea, cholera, dengue, and malaria. Skin infections caused by wet conditions have also been widely reported.
Sindh
Floods in Sindh killed 799 people and injured 8,422. Among the 338 children killed were three who died when the roof of their house collapsed in Kandhkot. 10 million people were displaced in Sindh and 57,496 houses were severely damaged or completely destroyed, mostly in the Hyderabad Division, and 830 cattle were killed. 6,200 km2 (1,540,000 acres) of farmland was impacted by the floods.
The Larkana and Sukkur divisions were severely affected by the floods; Thari Mirwah and Khairpur Nathan Shah were "inundated". The floods turned the Indus River into a lake 100 km (62 mi) wide. The towns of Johi and Mehar were saved by their residents making ring bands around their towns.
In Jacobabad, which has been called the world's hottest city, more than 40,000 people were living in temporary shelters with limited access to food, with 19 dead from the flooding as of 31 August.
During the floods, Lake Manchar overflowed, and in September 2022 efforts were made to assist its drainage.
In the Dadu District, floodwater reportedly submerged 300 villages.
The Sindh provincial government confirmed, on 16 September 2022, 588 cases of malaria, with a further 10,604 suspected cases, as well as 17,977 cases of diarrhea, and 20,064 of skin disease. Since 1 July, a total of 2,300,000 patients have been treated for malaria in field and mobile hospitals. A high of 90,000 cases of diarrhea were reported in a single day on 1 September.
Balochistan
Flooding in Balochistan killed 336 people. In many areas, rainwater infiltrated many homes and made them uninhabitable. Many families were displaced. 426,897 houses were either damaged or completely destroyed, and 1,230 km2 (304,000 acres) of crops were lost. An estimated half-million livestock were also killed.
According to the Relief Commissioner Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Balochistan's capital Quetta was declared a disaster area due to rains, and an emergency was declared in the province. Many organisations took part in relief, including Balochistan Youth Action Committee & Apna Dastarkhwan (Zariya Social Welfare Foundation).
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
309 people died and 600,000 others were displaced by floods in the province. Among them were five children in Upper Dir District; they had been returning home from school when they were swept away by the floods and drowned. 326,897 houses were damaged due to floods and landslides, and 7,742 cattle died from collapsing sheds. In Swat District, a newly built hotel collapsed due to excessive flooding. The southwestern part of the province was previously affected by the June 2022 Afghanistan earthquake.
In Lower Kohistan District, 5 people stranded in a hill torrent were swept away; 4 of them were killed, while one was rescued. In Balakot, 8 nomads were killed due to flooding in a tributary of the Kunhar River. 12 people were also killed in flooding in different areas of Dera Ismail Khan due to flash floods from hill torrents.
Gilgit-Baltistan
23 people died, four were missing, and floods badly affected the Karakoram Highway. Roads were closed for traffic at several places due to landslides. The districts of Ghizer, Nagar, Diamer, Ghanche, and Astore were the worst affected. 420 homes were destroyed and 740 were damaged due to floods and landslides. Meanwhile, the S-1 Strategic Highway also suffered erosion due to high water flows in the Indus River. The Ishkoman Valley Road was cut off at Gutkash due to flooding in the Ishkoman River. A bridge at Chhorbat in Ghanche District was also flooded. Valley roads and two bridges in Nagar District were swept away by floods. There were also reports of damage in Khanar and Bonar in Diamer District. As of 26 August, most parts of the villages in Ghizer were destroyed by the flood. Among these were Buber Valley, Gahkuch, and Gulmuti. Residents were asked to evacuate the flood-affected areas as river levels rose to an extremely dangerous height.
Punjab
In Punjab, 223 people died and 3,858 others suffered injuries. In Taunsa, many settlements were submerged in floodwater. In the historical town of Mangadotha, west of Taunsa, hundreds of houses and livestock were swept away by flood waters. 7,200 km2 (1,780,000 acres) of crops and orchids were also impacted. Residents of communities adjacent to flooded rivers began to evacuate, with most families moving away. Most of the families have moved to safer places on foot and camels while carrying only essential supplies as roads and bridges were washed away.
Azad Kashmir
48 people died by flooding in Azad Kashmir. On 31 July, in Poonch District, ten people died and four were injured when a roof collapsed on top of them. Five tourists from Mianwali were swept away and later confirmed to have been killed in Neelum Valley on 19 August.
Response
National
The prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who had decided to spearhead the relief operations in the wake of massive floods, met international partners on 25 August who pledged to provide $500 million to the country to mitigate the havoc wreaked by flooding.
Army officers, federal cabinet members, and senators will donate their one-month salary for the flood relief fund. PTCL Group, Pakistan's largest telecom and internet services provider, announced ₨. 1.75 billion(or US$8 million) to support flood relief efforts and those affected by the floods.
The chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and former prime minister, Imran Khan, held a 3-hour-long telethon to raise funds for flood victims and received ₨. 500 crores (or US$22.5 million) in pledges for flood relief.
On 30 August, the Government of Pakistan announced $170 million allocation to flood victims, which will be disbursed through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) as part of Pakistan Flood Response Plan 2022. The Pakistani embassies in China and Turkey have also set up fundraisers requesting flood relief donations from locals.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) introduced the 9999 SMS code for flood relief donations to enable consumers to donate their funds through mobile phone text to support the flood victims. The consumers would be required to write "fund" and send it to the 9999 short code to donate ₨. 10 (or US ¢4.5) to contribute to the prime minister's floods relief fund.
The government has been accused of inaction on relief and rescue operations, with local officials allegedly hoarding humanitarian aid. Incidents of looting due to lack of aid have emerged, with several NGOs halting relief operations after their trucks carrying relief goods were looted. In Sukkur, police booked 100 flood-affected persons under terrorism charges for protesting against the lack of food and relief when Shehbaz Sharif and foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto visited to assess flood damage on 26 August.
Mehraz provided free low-cost housing designs made of bamboo for affected communities, focusing on environmentally friendly and resilient construction techniques and flood management.