Floods In Pakistan Research Articles

Dengue outbreak amidst poverty and floods in Pakistan: the herbal medicine conundrum

Dengue outbreak amidst poverty and floods in Pakistan: the herbal medicine conundrum

Pakistan Floods in 2010 and 2022: The Impact of Extratropical Factors on Monsoon Systems

Pakistan Floods in 2010 and 2022: The Impact of Extratropical Factors on Monsoon Systems

Socioeconomic Vulnerabilities, Capacities and Solution for Women with Disabilities and their Families in the Face of Floods 2022

Flood has disastrous effects on the lives of all human beings and considered as a curse especially for women with disabilities because they face greater challenges for their survival. The objective of the study was to investigate the socio-economic vulnerabilities faced by the women with disability during flood in Muzzafargarh. Responses were collected through two focus group discussions. Acquired responses of FGDs were analyzed through thematic analysis. In the focus group discussion six themes were selected (i) Knowledge and faith about flood (ii) Social issues of disabled women and social isolation (iii) Economic Problems of disabled women (iv) Receiving help pre-flood (v) Receiving help post-Flood (vi) Suggestions to overcome the issues in future. The study reported that the majority of the respondents strongly believed that no one could control floods because it is natural and the will of Allah (God) but some of the respondents stated that India, feudal lords, and negligence of management are responsible for flood in Pakistan. study recommended that Government should have to do planning to control flood, they have to make new dams to save the water”. The state should have to fulfill the basic necessities of life of the flood-affected people. Government should establish special schools, scholarship and jobs for the disabled people.

Antecedent snowmelt and orographic precipitation contributions to water supply of Pakistan disastrous floods, 2022

In 2022, the Pakistan witnessed the hottest spring and wettest summer in history. And devastating floods inundated a large portion of Pakistan and caused enormous damages. However, the primary water source and its contributions to these unprecedented floods remain unclear. Based on the reservoir inflow measurements, Multi-Source Weighted-Ensemble Precipitation (MSWEP), the fifth generation ECMWF atmospheric reanalysis (ERA5) products, this study quantified the contributions of monsoon precipitation, antecedent snowmelts, and orographic precipitation enhancement to floods in Pakistan. We found that the Indus experienced at least four inflow uprushes, which was mainly supplied by precipitation and snowmelt; In upper Indus, abnormally high temperature continued to influence the whole summer and lead to large amounts of snowmelts which not only was a key water supply to the flood but also provided favorable soil moisture conditions for the latter precipitation. Before July, the snowmelt has higher contributions than the precipitation to the streamflow of Indus River, with contribution value of more than 60%. Moreover, the snowmelt could still supply 20%–40% water to the lower Indus in July and August; The leading driver of 2022 mega-floods over the southern Pakistan in July and August was dominated by the precipitation, where terrain disturbance induced precipitation account to approximately 33% over the southern Pakistan. The results help to understand the mechanisms of flood formation, and to better predict future flood risks over complex terrain regions.

A failure or success?: A qualitative analysis of post-disaster relocation among survivors of 2010 floods in Pakistan

In Pakistan, the enormous 2010 floods inflicted unprecedented destruction to 0.5 million houses in South Punjab. This study was conducted in Muzaffargarh, a district of the Punjab province of Pakistan, one of the worst affected areas during the 2010 floods. As an adaptation and disaster risk reduction measure, an International NGO in collaboration with the Government of the Punjab province constructed 1274 houses for flood-affected communities. The houses were allocated through a lottery method. Initially, the allottees moved to the new settlements for the sake of possession. However, over time, it was observed that many flood-affected individuals sold out or rented their houses and returned to their villages/settlements. This qualitative study was conducted to identify the factors affecting the flood survivors’ decision to return to their original villages/settlements after a certain time. The specific objective of the study was to identify the factors that pushed and pulled the flood survivors into their original settlements. The current study interviewed 20 respondents through the snowball sampling technique by using an interview guide. The findings highlighted the loss of social capital, place attachment, unavailability of grazing places, non-transfer of house, and increase in the cost of living were the major factors that pushed the flood survivors to return to their native villages. The current study highlighted social and psychological costs (such as nostalgia, homesickness, loss of social networks, etc.) for the relocation of disaster survivors. This study contains important policy implications regarding relocation decisions taken by the government and policymakers. Findings indicate relocation decisions as the failure to address the local needs, priorities, and contexts.

Middle east warming in spring enhances summer rainfall over Pakistan

The edge of a monsoon region is usually highly sensitive to climate change. Pakistan, which is located on the northern edge of the Indian monsoon, is highly vulnerable to heavy rainfall and has witnessed several debilitating floods exacerbated by global warming in recent years. However, the mechanisms for the frequent Pakistan floods are yet not fully understood. Here, we show that the Middle East is undergoing an increase in land heating during spring, which is responsible for 46% of the intensified rainfall over Pakistan and northwestern India during 1979–2022. This springtime land warming causes a decline in sea level pressure (SLP), which strengthens the meridional SLP gradient between the Middle East and the southern Arabian Sea and drives the changes of low-level jet (LLJ) subsequently. The impact persists into summer and results in a northward shift of the monsoonal LLJ, accompanied by strong positive vorticity in the atmosphere and enhanced moisture supply to Pakistan. Consequently, the transition region between the summer monsoon in South Asia and the desert climate in West Asia is shifted northwestward, posing significantly enhanced risk of floods over Pakistan and northwestern India.

Global flood extent segmentation in optical satellite images

Floods are among the most destructive extreme events that exist, being the main cause of people affected by natural disasters. In the near future, estimated flood intensity and frequency are projected to increase. In this context, automatic and accurate satellite-derived flood maps are key for fast emergency response and damage assessment. However, current approaches for operational flood mapping present limitations due to cloud coverage on acquired satellite images, the accuracy of flood detection, and the generalization of methods across different geographies. In this work, a machine learning framework for operational flood mapping from optical satellite images addressing these problems is presented. It is based on a clouds-aware segmentation model trained in an extended version of the WorldFloods dataset. The model produces accurate and fast water segmentation masks even in areas covered by semitransparent clouds, increasing the coverage for emergency response scenarios. The proposed approach can be applied to both Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8/9 data, which enables a much higher revisit of the damaged region, also key for operational purposes. Detection accuracy and generalization of proposed model is carefully evaluated in a novel global dataset composed of manually labeled flood maps. We provide evidence of better performance than current operational methods based on thresholding spectral indices. Moreover, we demonstrate the applicability of our pipeline to map recent large flood events that occurred in Pakistan, between June and September 2022, and in Australia, between February and April 2022. Finally, the high-resolution (10-30m) flood extent maps are intersected with other high-resolution layers of cropland, building delineations, and population density. Using this workflow, we estimated that approximately 10 million people were affected and 700k buildings and 25,000 km^2 of cropland were flooded in 2022 Pakistan floods.

Health Impacts of the 2023 Flood in Pakistan: A Comprehensive Case Study on Skin-related Ailments and Waterborne Diseases

The devastating flood that struck Pakistan in 2023 had profound ramifications for public health, leading to a surge in waterborne illnesses and skin-related ailments among the affected populace. This thorough case study delves into the post-flood health consequences, with a specific focus on the emergence of skin rashes, allergies, burns, and heat strokes as formidable challenges. The report underscores the urgent necessity for swift, well-coordinated medical interventions during disasters to effectively alleviate the repercussions on vulnerable communities. The following recommendations could be used to prevent future diseaster situation. Effective management of post-flood scenarios demands meticulous risk assessment and mitigation strategies [2]. Vital to this process is the cultivation of community resilience, achieved through strengthening local capacities, fostering awareness, and promoting community engagement [6]. Integrated water management strategies are imperative to thwart waterborne diseases in the aftermath of floods, encompassing enhanced sanitation infrastructure, secure water supply, and health education [7]. Climate change adaptation must be seamlessly integrated into disaster response plans to tackle the escalating frequency and intensity of floods [10]. Leveraging medical relief and telemedicine, including mobile clinics, can bridge gaps in healthcare access during disasters [9]. These innovations facilitate remote medical consultations and essential healthcare delivery. Recognizing the toll floods take on mental well-being, access to psychosocial support services is paramount [8]. Cross-border collaboration heightens disaster response and recovery [3]. Resource and expertise sharing enhances healthcare interventions in the aftermath of trans-boundary floods. Early warning systems are pivotal in preventing casualties and mitigating health impacts [5]. To ensure equitable outcomes, disaster management must prioritize vulnerable groups such as the elderly and children, tailoring interventions to their distinct needs [1].

Educational Sustainability: An Anthropocenic Study in the Wake of the 2022 Floods in Pakistan

Highlights Pakistan's worst flooding occurred in 2022 and highlighted the critical link between educational and environmental sustainability. The 2022 floods took a heavy toll on the lives of 27,148 children. Educational sustainability suffered, affecting 33 million students at all levels. This study employed qualitative methods to examine the scenario post the 2022 flood in Pakistan, focusing on educational, psychological, and physical vulnerabilities. Information was drawn from newspaper reports, NGO documents, and data from the disaster management department. The research identified significant challenges faced by school-age children and proposed solutions. Setting up temporary schools, wetland restoration, urban planning reforms, and inter-agency coordination are vital. Moreover, training teachers and involving children in environmental education and awareness campaigns are recommended. Beyond infrastructure improvements, the study underscores the importance of incorporating climate change, disaster management, and natural catastrophe risks into the curriculum and teaching methods to prepare the youth for future environmental challenges.

Calamity Of Secondary Dengue Virus Followed By Climatic Changes.

Madam, This is to bring your attention to a long-standing issue despite several activities devised to curb it. Being aware of the effect of drastic climatic changes, developing countries like Pakistan should remain alert about the emergence of infectious outbreaks. The stagnant water after heavy rainfall and flood is a ground for the breeding of dengue vector called Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The virus is transmitted from one person to another through these mosquitoes. Lately, the surge in the cases of dengue virus was due to massive flooding in Pakistan in 2022. A total of 25932 cases were reported and 62 deaths were recorded during the dengue outbreak during the flood crisis of 2022[1]. Dengue virus comprises of four serotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4. A person infected by a distinct serotype of the virus gains immunity against it and future infection by the same DENV will not affect the person’s health but infection by a heterogenous serotype causes secondary infection in the form of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) or dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Expansive capillary leakage in DHF due to an increase in the permeability of blood vessels can turn on a shock state called DSS. This deprivation of blood to highly functional organs like the brain, kidney, and heart puts them at risk of multi-organ failure [2]. The seasonal surge of secondary infection puts a burden on hospitals as the patient requires vigilant inpatient hospital care. The patient's health deteriorates further because of self-treatment at home with local herbs and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs [3]. As modern medicine is focused more on prevention than treatment, the need for the approval of the use of the dengue vaccine on high-risk individuals in an endemic country like Pakistan should be considered. The DENGVAXIA is a well-tolerated vaccine protecting against all the serotypes and is approved for use in individuals 9 to 45 years who are previously infected by the dengue virus in the past. [4] The vaccine will restrain the rise in DHF and DSS cases as it is for high-risk individuals who are already infected in the past thus curbing the incidence of secondary infection. Many endemic countries like the Philippines and Brazil have already taken a step against secondary dengue by granting the license of DENGVAXIA [5]. As Pakistan is developing country, approving the license for DENGVAXIA should be considered.

Move up or move over: mapping opportunities for climate adaptation in Pakistan’s Indus plains

The 2022 Indus floods in Pakistan underscore the urgency of adapting to more frequent and severe natural disasters in a warming world. Post-disaster reconstruction offers a chance to built-in adaptation measures, but identifying feasible and cost-effective adaptation options is challenging, especially in data-scarce regions. Here we employ a high-resolution rapid assessment of flood stages combined with demographic data to identify adaptation opportunities and costs for the Indus floodplains. Under a plausible set of assumptions, we find that rebuilding houses in a flood-proof, elevated manner (‘moving up’) or (temporary) relocation (‘moving over’) could have protected 13%, respectively 16% of people affected during the 2022 floods, while the remaining 70% of people were exposed to shallow water levels that could have been addressed with low-cost adaptation. Implementing these measures during ongoing reconstruction could be an effective adaptation to future floods but will come with substantial costs. Rebuilding in a flood-proofed manner (‘moving up’) alone would already increase costs by 26%–63% ($1.5bn–$3.6bn) compared to estimated reconstruction costs without adaptation ($5.8bn). Additional costs would be incurred by relocation and adaptation of other infrastructure. The absence of local flood stage and socio-economic data creates uncertainty and points to future research avenues. Yet, our prototype approach demonstrates the value of rapid assessments for guiding post-disaster adaptation of livelihoods to future floods.

Windows of opportunity for predicting seasonal climate extremes highlighted by the Pakistan floods of 2022

Skilful predictions of near-term climate extremes are key to a resilient society. However, standard methods of analysing seasonal forecasts are not optimised to identify the rarer and most impactful extremes. For example, standard tercile probability maps, used in real-time regional climate outlooks, failed to convey the extreme magnitude of summer 2022 Pakistan rainfall that was, in fact, widely predicted by seasonal forecasts. Here we argue that, in this case, a strong summer La Niña provided a window of opportunity to issue a much more confident forecast for extreme rainfall than average skill estimates would suggest. We explore ways of building forecast confidence via a physical understanding of dynamical mechanisms, perturbation experiments to isolate extreme drivers, and simple empirical relationships. We highlight the need for more detailed routine monitoring of forecasts, with improved tools, to identify regional climate extremes and hence utilise windows of opportunity to issue trustworthy and actionable early warnings.

Causes of 2022 Pakistan flooding and its linkage with China and Europe heatwaves

In boreal summer of 2022, Pakistan experienced extremely high rainfall, resulting in severe flooding and displacing over 30 million people. At the same time, heatwaves persisted over central China and Europe. The coexistence of these extreme events suggests a possible linkage. Our analysis indicated that the record rainfall was mainly induced by compounding factors. These included (1) La Niña-induced strong anomalous easterlies over the northern Indian subcontinent, (2) intense southerlies from the Arabian Sea with an upward trend in recent decades, (3) an interaction between extratropical and tropical systems, specifically the northerly flow downstream of the Europe blocking and the southerly monsoon flow from the Arabian Sea. Wave activity flux and regression analyses unveiled a distinct stationary Rossby wave-like pattern connecting the flooding in Pakistan and heatwaves in Europe and China. This pattern, an emerging teleconnection pattern in recent decade, exhibited substantial differences from the reported teleconnection patterns. We also noted the positive feedback of the excessive Pakistan rainfall could further enhance the large-scale background flow and the heavy rainfall itself. The 2022 Pakistan flood event was an intensified manifestation of the 2010 Pakistan flood event, which was also caused by compounding factors, but occurred in a more pronounced upward trend in the both tropics and extratropics.

Community perceptions of flood risks and their attributes: A case study of rural communities of Khipro, District Sanghar, Pakistan

Globally, the frequency, regularity, and severity of floods are all increasing due to climate change, and climate change's effects on developing nations are significant. In 2022, the worst floods in Pakistan's recorded history occurred. One-fifth of the nation experienced significant destruction, which led to significant economic losses and fatalities. However, the resilience of the local population to withstand the effects of calamities has not received enough attention in rural villages along the Indus River. This descriptive cross-sectional research examined how three communities in high-risk locations in Khipro, Sanghar District, Sindh, Pakistan, perceived and responded to flood dangers based on their past experiences. A survey was conducted with a total of 50 individuals in three villages. To measure flood risk perception, three variables—awareness of floods, concerns about floods, and preparedness—were used. Descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and Pearson's correlation were applied to find correlations and differences across variables. The study adds valuable knowledge about how people perceive the risk of flooding and how factors like age, education, differences in monthly income levels, low-risk awareness, and preparedness influence that perception in rural areas. This study's findings can be used to evaluate flood risks and adopt local adaptation strategies in flood prone areas.

Rain Rain Go Away: A Snapshot of the Flood 2022 and Way Forward

The devastations caused by the recent floods in Pakistan are the result of poor management. Despite several warnings of an unusual rainfall during the months of July and August, a lack of preparedness resulted in a huge catastrophe. The knowledge brief in hand provides a snapshot of the extent of rainfall and subsequent floods, as well as the losses that occurred after the disaster. The major threats from the recent floods include the threat to the food security of an already deprived population; loss of education and health; and an increase in social unrest due to more criminal activity. To tackle the issue in future both structural and non-structural measure should be adopted. Structural measures are long-term development interventions while non-structural measures are based on shortterm response to build community resilience. We are compelled to live with the floods due to our topographic situation. Better management and adaptation stratifies can help to minimise the losses in case of next disaster.

Rain Rain Go Away: A Snapshot of the Flood 2022 and Way Forward

The devastations caused by the recent floods in Pakistan are the result of poor management. Despite several warnings of an unusual rainfall during the months of July and August, a lack of preparedness resulted in a huge catastrophe. The knowledge brief in hand provides a snapshot of the extent of rainfall and subsequent floods, as well as the losses that occurred after the disaster. The major threats from the recent floods include the threat to the food security of an already deprived population; loss of education and health; and an increase in social unrest due to more criminal activity. To tackle the issue in future both structural and non-structural measure should be adopted. Structural measures are long-term development interventions while non-structural measures are based on shortterm response to build community resilience. We are compelled to live with the floods due to our topographic situation. Better management and adaptation stratifies can help to minimise the losses in case of next disaster.

Flood in Pakistan and Infectious Diseases - The Way Forward.

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Appalling pregnancy outcomes in flood-affected areas.

Respected Madam, Floods are one of the most common types of natural disasters leading to enormous morbidity and mortality in a developing country like Pakistan. Pakistan is ranked 9th among flood-affected countries worldwide and in 2022 floodwater has submerged over one-third of the country in water, killing over 1,000 and impacting 33 million people. (1) Flood-affected areas serve as ideal breeding grounds for pathogens, severely disrupting livelihoods and impacting the health of the vast majority and adversely influencing the lives of pregnant women. In 2021 Erin et al. reported the impact of the flood on pregnancy, health, birth outcomes and postpartum mental health. They stated that pregnant women in the first trimester are at high risk of having low birth weight (LBW) babies and a reduction in fetal growth rate in areas of major floods. (2) This is not the only study to show these results. A systematic review shows the increased prevalence of preterm birth, at the same time, highlighting increasing incidents of gestational hypertension, increased rate of LBW birth, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia and eclampsia after the flood. (3) A study published after the 2012 floods in Pakistan raised serious concerns regarding diarrhoea, skin & eye infections, leptospirosis, malaria, leishmaniasis, respiratory infections and hepatitis being prevalent in flooded areas of Pakistan. (4) The major concern author wants to highlight is the health of pregnant women and growing fetuses being particularly vulnerable to direct and indirect impacts of natural disasters. The poor standards of hygiene in camps set up for women displaced by the floods also contribute to pregnancy-related complications including sepsis. A recent report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has stated s a need for providing healthcare facilities to almost 650,000 pregnant women in flood-affected areas in Pakistan. (5) Flood-affected areas need medical aid to mitigate pregnancy-related complications in relief camps. But no research done on the Pakistani population in flood-affected areas directly highlights the outcome of flood on pregnancy and fetal well-being. The author suggests a data collection and assessment approach and reporting system to evaluate pregnancy-related complications in flood-affected areas; so that future policy, clinical and research strategies are based on research and get adopted to mitigate the effects of future floods on pregnancy outcomes. In addition to this, trained healthcare workers, robust health systems and gender-sensitive responses should be set in place in responding to flood emergencies.

Exploring suicidality in the aftermath of the 2022 flood in Pakistan: insights from newspaper reports.

Exploring suicidality in the aftermath of the 2022 flood in Pakistan: insights from newspaper reports.

Period Poverty: An Added Poverty In Humanitarian Crisis.

The term 'period poverty' is broadly used, indicating an individual's need for menstrual products without sufficient funds to purchase them (1). Period poverty is defined as “a lack of access to menstrual products”. More than half of the world's population are menstruating people; therefore in a situation specifically during a humanitarian crisis, high-period poverty becomes challenging (2). Period poverty, like other types of poverty, is a worldwide issue and it is frequently used when people are unable to access menstrual products due to their low socioeconomic level. These items could include sanitary napkins, inner garments, and other hygiene items. It can significantly impact an individual's life, but the stigma surrounding periods poses a greater threat to women's health because it discourages people from discussing it. Several factors, including hygiene facilities, waste management, and education, pose physical, mental, and emotional challenges for numerous women. More than half of the world's population menstruates; therefore, high-period poverty becomes a challenge, especially during humanitarian crises (2). It is usually observed that adolescents and young women are frequently underrepresented populations in humanitarian settings, particularly in times of conflict like forced displacement, armed conflict, or natural catastrophes. Wherever a disaster strikes, search and rescue teams prioritize helping those evacuated to shelters and supporting efforts to provide basic necessities like food and water. As a result, other urgent needs of displaced populations, particularly displaced girls and women, may be overlooked (4). It has been observed from the global humanitarian crises, that menstruation and hygiene products such as wipes, soaps, and other menstrual products were the most important things they needed at that time (5). During the recent floods (June- Aug 2022) in Pakistan, over 33 million people were affected, and over 6.4 million required humanitarian assistance. Approximately 634 thousand people were compelled to reside in camps. Access to healthcare facilities, personnel, and essential medications and medical supplies was restricted (6)More than eight million women of reproductive age affected by floods took extreme measures to manage their periods, such as one woman who described how she had to use tree leaves during her period. (7). Post-disaster relief and rehabilitation operations rarely prioritize the menstrual hygiene needs of women. Nonetheless, there is a growing awareness of the importance of integrating comprehensive, participatory, and gender-sensitive approaches into response programs with a focus on meeting the needs of women (8). ---Continue