Helping peripheral communities in Pakistan resist seasonal flooding

The village of Sohrab Lashari sits on the tail end of the river Indus in Sindh province, Pakistan. Given the enormous demand on water further upstream, the village experiences severe drought conditions, especially as temperatures spiral to almost 50 degrees Celsius in summer.

This water scarcity creates problems both for residents and for businesses, affecting drinking water and irrigation. In top of these challenges, the area experiences regular and devastating flooding during the monsoon season.

Sitting in a remote area of the province, the government struggles to reach the community with the support required to mitigate against the flooding. ACTED has been active in Sohrab Lashari since 2015, assisting flood-hit families whose houses, water supply and livelihoods are at risk.

The challenges facing communities in this area of Sindh province are grave. Despite the recurring nature of disasters ravaging the region, ACTED initial assessments showed that little practical action was being taken to protect residents. There was little knowledge of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) approaches and three years after major floods of 2015, many households were still struggling to recover.

The community faced high levels of malnutrition, poor water access, inadequate sanitation, and water-damaged housing, with the flood water wreaking havoc upon the areas agriculture-based economy. Families were forced into short-term negative coping strategies, selling off assets and missing meals to sustain themselves from one month to the next, dragging families into a cycle of poverty.