'Super-flood' risk Pakistan

Islamabad - Late monsoon rains in northern Pakistan have washed away communities, devastated farmland, and brought the risk of a “super-flood” moving across the country, leaving millions of people potentially vulnerable.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reports that more than 200 people have died since the flooding began in early September, with some 1,200 villages submerged so far, affecting 600,000 people. Thousands of homes have been destroyed, while almost 436,000 acres (176,443 hectares) of crops have been lost. The figures are rising daily.

The immediate needs are search and rescue, restoration of access, drainage, food, drinking water, and emergency health and shelter requirements for the growing number of flood displaced people in the 271 camps dotted across Punjab.

Some positives

But the crisis had shown a number of positives. “Better capacity and systems to cope with flooding, along with earlier evacuation have saved people’s lives,” Kamal said, praising the efforts of local authorities and army rescue teams. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated ahead of the floods.

Meanwhile, rising water continues to put pressure on the Trimu Headworks (a barrage system of sluices designed to control the flow of water), where the rivers Jhelum and Chenab meet near the city of Jhang, in central Punjab. Thousands of families are in the process of being evacuated from the surrounding area. Parts of Punjab are already three metres under water.

Describing the ongoing flood situation as an “evolving crisis”, Annette Hearns, acting head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Pakistan, said: “We are monitoring the situation very closely and are in constant contact with the respective local and national government authorities.”

“An exceptionally high volume of water is moving south, through Punjab, and will converge at various points in the next few days. As the water moves, the impact of the situation will evolve,” she said.

She praised the actions of the authorities leading rescue and relief activities, acknowledging that lessons learned from wide-scale flooding in 2010, and investment in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), had paid dividends.

“Earlier evacuation of those at risk has been apparent, with effective early warning systems and experience from previous wide-scale flooding playing a part in saving people’s lives and safeguarding their assets,” she said.

The government has not made a formal request for assistance to the international humanitarian community.