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Islamabad Tonight 10th August 2010
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Floods in Pakistan
Snapshot report, 09 August 2010
A publication of the Humanitarian Communication Group (HCG) produced with OCHA's support
The crisis at a glance
· Floods are now devastating Sindh Province in the country's south, while rains continue in the north
· An estimated 14.0 million people are affected (including 6 million children), of whom 1.8 million are homeless
· Needs are higher than those that followed the 2005 earthquake, and far more widespread across the country
· Shelter is the most urgent need, while food, water, and health care are also crucial
· Assistance has been provided to hundreds of thousands, but the relief operation needs to be massively scaled up
· Hundreds of millions of dollars will be required for humanitarian assistance over the coming months
· Recovery activities on the longer term, to rebuild livelihoods and infrastructure, will require billions
Context
Flooding
· Heavy monsoon rains started to hit Pakistan from 22 July, causing flash floods in several parts of Baluchistan and Punjab, located in the country's south-west and east respectively. Those floods caused significant damage, but had not yet led to a humanitarian emergency.
· On the night between 28 and 29 July, following continued torrential rains, several rivers in the north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KPK) breached their banks, thereby causing riverine floods. These floods have gradually moved from the country's north to the south, and are the cause of a major humanitarian emergency.
· As of 09 August, the floods have entered the Sindh Province, located in the country's south. Concerns remain high that barrages or embankments could break, especially in the areas of Guddu and Sukkur. The Torhi protective bund, located near Sukkur, has already been breached on 07 August.
· As of 09 August, rains continue in KPK, and the estimates of houses destroyed and people affected continue to increase. Weather forecasts indicate that rain will likely continue to fall over Sindh and other parts of the country over the coming days.
Affected populations
· Given the scale of the disaster, and the difficulty of reaching many affected areas due to the flooding itself and the damage that the floods caused to road infrastructure, reliable estimates of persons affected and homes destroyed are difficult to obtain. However, very rough estimates are as follows. These are provided by the Government, and used by the United Nations and its partners.
| Province | Persons affected | Villages affected | Homes destroyed or seriously damaged | Persons rendered homeless (estimate based on an estimated average of six persons per home) |
| Baluchistan | 272,569 | 2,584 | 19,604 | 117,624 |
| Gilgit-Baltistan | 7,735 | n/a | 1,105 | 6,630 |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 4,725,695 | 2,625 | 172,704 | 1,036,224 |
| Pakistani-administered Kashmir | 24,178 | n/a | 3,883 | 23,298 |
| Punjab | 8,000,000 | 3,000 | 84,176 | 505,056 |
| Sindh | 1,010,885 | 2,471 | 20,916 | 125,496 |
| Totals | 14,041,062 | 10,680 | 302,388 | 1,814,328 |
· Persons can be affected to very different extents. Some had their home destroyed and lost everything, while others may have more moderate needs. Assessments are underway to assess the damage and needs in detail, so that appropriate humanitarian responses can be devised.
· Not all those affected necessarily require humanitarian assistance on the short term, but at least six or seven million people will require humanitarian assistance in at least one sector. Many more will require assistance on the longer term during the phase of reconstruction and rehabilitation of homes, infrastructure, and livelihoods.
· For Sindh, estimates of persons affected are likely to rise, as the floods are likely to reach more villages in the coming hours and days. The national authorities are in the process of evacuating at least 400,000 people from low-lying areas, of whom most have already been evacuated. Those being evacuated are also considered affected.
Damage to livelihoods and structures
· The flooding has caused widespread destruction of public infrastructure, with roads submerged and tens of bridges swept away. Power lines are down in many areas. Many hospitals, schools and sanitation systems have been severely damaged.
· A lot of agricultural land has been flooded. It is estimated that at least 10,000 hectares of field crops have been destroyed in KPK, and 567,000 hectares in Punjab — the latter being the 'food basket' of the country. These are only very preliminary and rough estimates.
· It is estimated that 8,000 pieces of livestock have perished in KPK alone, especially in the districts of Charsadda, Kohistan, Nowshera, Shangla, and Swat. People who managed to save their livestock are in urgent need of feed and medication in order to ensure their continued survival.
· The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is currently conducting an assessment of the damage to agriculture.
Humanitarian needs and response
· The needs arising out of this emergency are comparable to those that followed Pakistan's 2005 earthquake, which had affected 3 million people.
· Shelter is the most urgent need, for the hundreds of thousands of people who are currently without a home.
· Food aid is also urgently required, as most of those affected had their food stocks damaged and food is not regularly available through regular commercial channels.
· On the longer term, it is also estimated that the food supply will have been badly damaged, due to to the destruction of field crops and livestock. A lot of effort and funds will be required in order to repair the damage so that livelihoods can be restored.
· Clean water is also a priority, as the floods and the related damage of latrines have caused the contamination of most water reserves.
· Health is a significant concern, especially in terms of waterborne and vector-borne diseases.
· Humanitarian operations are underway, and aid has been delivered to hundreds of thousands of people. However, this only meets the enormous needs to a very limited extent. The relief operations need to be massively scaled up.
Access to beneficiaries
· The floods make it difficult to reach all those in need, whether for assessments or for the provision of assistance. Tens of bridges have been destroyed by the floods, and many roads are not accessible.
· In the KPK's Swat Valley, parts of the districts of Kohistan, Shangla, and Upper Swat are not accessible by road, while the districts of Lower Dir and Upper Dir are only accessible through a long road via the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATAs). Aid workers have managed to reach some of these isolated areas, including by mule and on foot, but not to the extent required in order to conduct comprehensive assessments and plan the delivery of assistance.
· A team of United Nations disaster management experts has arrived in Pakistan on 07 August, to begin carrying out rapid needs assessments in the flood-affected districts of Punjab. The team will also be standing by to carry out assessments in Sindh, as may be necessary.
Funding
· As of 09 August, $ 38.2 million has been contributed or committed by international donors to the United Nations and its partners. The major donors are (in alphabetical order): Australia, China, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Norway, UK, USA. Additionally, $ 90.9 million has been pledged by donors.
· While a response plan is still being prepared, it is envisaged that needs for humanitarian activities over the coming months will be in the region of several hundreds of millions of dollars. On the longer term, even more funds will be needed in order to help communities rebuild their livelihoods.
Humanitarian needs and response
Food Security and Livelihoods
· Despite the worsening weather, as of 07 August WFP had already reached nearly 296,000 people with one-month food supplies in the worst-affected areas, totaling 3,600 metric tons of food aid delivered. This number of beneficiaries reached, and that of areas covered, are increasing on a daily basis.
· On 05 August, WFP launched a major airlift to boost the ongoing relief operation, so that food may be transported to tens of thousands of hungry people in isolated communities, including in the KPK's isolated Swat Valley. Due to bad weather, however, these air deliveries only started on 09 August.
· In order to scale up food distributions in KPK, WFP is more than doubling the number of NGO partners we are working with — from five to 11.
· WFP is now targeting up to 4 million people with food assistance. Some will need assistance for a short period only, but at least 2 million will likely need help for at least three months. In addition to KPK where distributions are already ongoing, WFP has been preparing to assist flood-affected communities in Baluchistan, Punjab, Sindh and other provinces, as the scale of the crisis grows.
Health
· The most serious health hazards concern waterborne and vector-borne diseases, as well as dehydration. In KPK, the three diseases most reported in connection with the emergency are acute diarrhoea, scabies, and respiratory tract infections.
· Alerts for suspected acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) were reported in Buner District of KPK, and in the province's provincial capital of Peshawar.
· Health facilities are badly damaged in flood-affected areas. In KPK alone, 24 facilities are partially damaged, while six are destroyed. In Punjab, 20 are partially damaged and 27 are destroyed.
· WHO and its health cluster partners has so far distributed 144 cholera kits, 129 emergency kits, 3 surgical supply kits, 750 anti-snake venom doses, and 1,500 hygiene kits. These kits will cover the potential needs of around 800,000 people for a month. Additionally, WHO has also provided the first tranche of a planned quantity of 340,000 sachets of oral rehydration salts (ORS) in Punjab.
· Since 31 July, health cluster partners have carried out over 37,000 patient consultations across the country, out of which over 5,000 were for suspected diarrhoea.
Nutrition
· WHO along with its cluster partners and key agencies is implementing a rapid assessment of the flood affected areas starting from mid next week.
Protection
· UNICEF is assisting orphans, disabled, child headed households and separated children through the child help line in and support of the local community.
Shelter and non-food items (NFIs)
· Since the crisis began, more than 51,000 tents have been delivered in flood-affected areas of KPK, including Charsadda, Dir, Mardan, Nowshera, and Swat. An additional 5,500 tents are on their way to affected areas in Sindh.
· More than 12,000 tarpaulins have so far been distributed in Baluchistan and KPK, and a further 4,000 will be delivered by UNHCR in KPK's Azakhel refugee settlement over the coming days.
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)
· The WASH cluster has so far provided clean drinking water to over one million people, through water tankers and the repair of approximately 100 tube wells.
· So far, 10,000 families have been provided with hygiene kits, buckets, and jerry cans.
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