Floods are one of the deadliest weather hazards in the world. Not only can they destroy cities, crops, and pollute water, but they can also cause multiple virus outbreaks to happen. They are often caused by bodies of water overflowing, other kinds of weather hazards happening, or levees breaking. People who are stuck in floods are truly unfortunate, as help often doesn’t arrive that fast. On the news, there are reports of small floods partially submerging cars and tunnels; however, the Pakistan flood starting from the 14th of June, 2022 is more than just a regular flood.
This particular flood was caused by severe climate change; more specifically, ‘heavier monsoon rain, melting of glaciers and extreme heat waves’ (UNICEF, n.d.). Along with the multiple floods, there were landslides and devastating rainfalls. These catastrophes have destroyed dams, homes, schools and farmland. It has really become a problem for all the people living there, such as destroying all access to help, such as bridges, airports, harbors and hospitals. Due to Pakistan being a developing country, it is even harder for people to get the necessary materials to survive. The citizens are all homeless, cooped up at the side of the road, with nothing to eat or drink and being literally helpless. On top of these crises, there were outbreaks of diarrhea, typhoid, and malaria. All these negative outcomes have a bigger toll on poorer communities and children because they are most vulnerable. People are in desperate need of shelter, food, toilet facilities and medical support (Red Cross, 2022). The flood has washed away all of their resources. Most people, especially those who live in poorer, more secluded areas, have a hard time finding basic necessities.
The Pakistan Floods started on June 14, 2022 and are still continuing now. Areas like Sindh and Balochistan have been impacted the most. Additionally, one third of the country of Pakistan is submerged in water (Wikipedia, 2022). This has been the deadliest flood since the one occurring in 2010, also in Pakistan (Wikipedia, 2022). The water continues to expand and it isn’t likely to stop and dry anytime soon. People are living in temporary shelters and camps built on a few areas of dry land. Because of the floods, the Indus River has turned into a lake that is 100 km in diameter (Wikipedia, 2022). On August 25, 2022, Pakistan declared the floods to be a state of emergency. 80 of 160 of Pakistan’s districts have been heavily affected by the floods (UNICEF, n.d.). People cannot simply escape since the roads are being heavily flooded and the airports, ports and other escape routes are all blocked. The floods trap many people in the region while the flood continues to spread.
The Pakistan Floods have affected over 33 million in the region around Pakistan, with at least 1,265 dead individuals (relief web, 2022). The United Nations has also discussed this matter and has requested a $160.3 million budget to provide humanitarian resources. In total, the casualties are 1700 dead and 12867 injured. 546,288 people are living in temporary camps (relief web, 2022). The losses in total are worth $40 billion (relief web, 2022). Around 10 to 12% of Pakistan is flooded and it is super large compared to Taiwan’s size. The area flooded is around 88,191 kilometers square, but Taiwan is only 36,197 km2. The Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, realized the problem early on and met with international partners on August 5, who all pledged to donate $500 million to help. Large companies like Apple and Google have also announced they will help. This just shows how severe this crisis is. As mentioned in the last paragraph, Sindh is the area that is most affected. Citizens of towns such as Johi and Mehar of Sindh have thought of a genius way to prevent more flooding: ring bands around the town.
The Pakistan Floods is truly a terrible and horrific event, and many people lost their lives because of this tragedy. This event just shows how deadly natural disasters can be and why countries should take this more seriously. The floods have caused pollution, mudslides and other effects that will most likely have a humongous influence in the future of Pakistan. Prayers from all over the world have been sent to the millions of victims of the flooding. People really should pay as much attention to these floods as to the Ukrainian war. In all, the Pakistan flood would be an event that will be remembered for generations, even if some people have never heard of it.
References:
Ahmed, M. (2022, October 7). Flood-ravaged Pakistan contests ratings downgrade by Moody’s. Taiwan News.
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4680163
BBC. (2022, October 4). Pakistan floods: “It’s like fighting a war with no end.” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63080101
Red Cross. (2022, September 27). Flooding in Pakistan: the latest news. British Red Cross. https://www.redcross.org.uk/stories/disasters-and-emergencies/world/climate-change-and-pakistan-flooding-affecting-millions#:~:text=The%20record%2Dbreaking%20floods%20have,up%20as%20the%20floods%20continue.
Relief web. (2022, September 7). Pakistan – Floods Fact Sheet #1, Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. Relief Web. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://reliefweb.int/report/pakistan/pakistan-floods-fact-sheet-1-fiscal-year-fy-2022
Schlein, L. (2022, October 3). UN Warns Deadly Diseases Spreading Fast in Flood-Ravaged Pakistan. VOA News. https://www.voanews.com/a/un-warns-deadly-diseases-spreading-fast-in-flood-ravaged-pakistan/6773539.html#:~:text=9%2C%202022.&text=A%20senior%20U.N.,scabies%20and%20other%20skin%20diseases.
SciDev.Net. (2022, September 12). Flood-hit Pakistan faces spread of infectious diseases. VaccinesWork. https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/flood-hit-pakistan-faces-spread-infectious-diseases
UNICEF. (n.d.). Devastating floods in Pakistan. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/devastating-floods-pakistan-2022
United Nations. (2022, September 20). Pakistan floods: Six month wait for water to recede, warn relief agencies.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1127051
Wikipedia. (2022, October 29). 2022 Pakistan floods. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Pakistan_floods
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