Floods are one of Pakistan’s most dangerous natural disasters, and recent floods have shown how bad they can be. Flooding is standard across the country. However, their characteristics vary from region to region. This article looks at how large basins flood and how floods are managed at the national level.
Pakistan In Crisis After Flood:
Pakistan is facing a severe humanitarian crisis caused by unprecedented rains and floods that have affected every part of the country. The statistics are staggering: This monsoon season has left a third of the country underwater, killed more than 1,100 people, displaced more than 33 million, and caused more than $10 billion in damage. While we don’t know the full extent of the devastation, the number is expected to continue to rise. Compared to the disasters of 2010 and 2020, this year’s monsoon season and the floods it caused are the worst ever. While the Pakistan Meteorological Office had warned about this year’s monsoon, many people did not take it seriously, thinking it would be another year. Flood Damage and Destruction in the Country: One-third of the country has been submerged due to floods. Losses are expected to rise from US$10 billion to US$12.5 billion. Approximately 1,300 people died due to the flood. About 460 of them were children. The floods have injured more than 12,500 people.
•Food Crisis:
Another crisis, or another massive crisis our country will struggle with, is food and agricultural land damage. It will have a significant impact on our country and the countries that depend on our food exports. It could make the global food market crisis even worse. Things are already worse because of the shocks to the supply chain caused by the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to preliminary estimates, 65 percent of Pakistan’s staple food crops, including 70 percent of its rice, were washed away during the floods, and 30 million livestock were killed. Pakistan’s Minister of Planning says that 45% of agricultural land has been destroyed. Such territory is precious at the best of times: less than 40 percent of Pakistan’s total land area is arable, and soil erosion takes its toll on agricultural land. Wheat is Pakistan’s top food crop, and the annual planting season begins early. More than 90 percent of households in Pakistan are consumers of wheat. But with so much land destroyed or damaged, the wheat crop could be in jeopardy. Some farmers knew their land would not be agricultural in three months. The country will most likely have to import more, which will raise prices and worsen the balance of payments crisis. Before the floods, food inflation was 26 percent, and in recent days some prices have increased by as much as 500 percent. These higher costs will be felt most heavily in cities, which are home to large populations of the poor and working class. Floods will manifest differently in rural areas, which are home to nearly two-thirds of Pakistan’s population. Rural land ownership is very unequal, and most people don’t own much or any land, which makes it harder to get food. This could exacerbate a public health challenge in the long term: stunting in children, attributed to poor nutrition. The food crisis in Pakistan will have international ramifications. The country is the world’s fourth largest rice exporter, with buyers from China to sub-Saharan Africa. Because Ukraine exports less wheat, any drop in exports would make it harder for people worldwide to get enough food. However, more rice in the world would help soften the blow. Pakistan also exports many non-food crops, especially cotton.
•After effects of the flood on human health:
Floods are devastating in all aspects: from damage to property and infrastructure to loss of life and widespread health impacts. As flooding becomes increasingly common for more people in a warming world, we look at its effects on human health. Diseases and outbreaks are another major health problem in the case of floods. These can come from water-borne diseases caused by drinking or coming into contact with contaminated water. These may include diarrhea, cholera, typhoid fever, and leptospirosis. These can sometimes be vector-borne diseases transmitted by an intermediate species that carries the disease’s germs, such as mosquitoes. Vector-borne diseases that come from flooding include dengue fever and malaria. In areas prone to coastal flooding, saltwater intrusion into drinking water is likely, as are hypertension and eclampsia. But the health effects of floods will only get worse if the government doesn’t act quickly and decisively to stop climate change.
• Effect on the Economic Condition of the Country:
It is widely observed that flash floods can affect Pakistan’s economic landscape and set the country back several years. But the size of the damage has scared the people of Pakistan, and the government has asked for help from other countries to improve things. It is clear that floods will affect the economic outlook and may be difficult to control. Moreover, the onset of floods has reduced the potential production of significant and minor Kharif crops, thus tampering with the optimistic view of the agriculture sector, which will ultimately harm the country’s economy in the future.
