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Pakistan: 2022 Multi-Sector Rapid Needs Assessment in Flood-Affected Areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh (September 2022)

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Pakistán
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Govt. Pakistan
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Executive Summary

The unprecedented monsoon rain from June to September 2022 triggered one of Pakistan's worst floods in decades. It is estimated that over 33 million people, around 15 per cent of the total population of the country, have been affected by floods. The floods have caused around 800,00 houses to be fully damaged, and another 1,210,000 to be partially damaged, as well as the temporary relocation of millions of affected households.

The humanitarian community in Pakistan, including the United Nations and international and national NGOs, are supporting the Government of Pakistan in the humanitarian response operation. The MultiSectoral Rapid Needs Assessment (MSRNA) was designed to identify the key humanitarian impacts of the 2022 floods and pressing priority needs in order to plan humanitarian response. Under the overall leadership of the National and Provincial Disaster Management Authorities and the Humanitarian Country Team, the Assessment Working Group led the process of designing and conducting the assessment. MSRNA data was collected through community-level interviews with key informants (KIs) in randomly selected villages. The assessment covered 25 worst affected districts: 13 in Sindh, 10 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and two in Punjab.

The findings of MSRNA highlighted not only the devastating impacts of the floods on the lives and livelihood of the affected communities but also identified and prioritized the immediate relief needs. As per the findings, it was estimated that 22 per cent of affected people were not living in their places of habitual residence. Among them, some nine per cent were reportedly living in relief camps, six per cent in spontaneous camps and eight per cent with host communities in nearby areas. The displacement/relocation ratio was significantly higher in Sindh where over 40 per cent of the affected population was away from the location of their homes. Displaced and relocated households will be in need of continuous life-saving assistance until they can return to their place of habitual residence and resume their normal lives and livelihood activities.

Mounting health-related needs and inadequate healthcare systems present a serious issue, emphasizing the critical need for comprehensive healthcare services in disaster-hit districts. Thirty-seven per cent of KIs reported that the nearest health facility is not functional. Among those who reported the nearest health facility as functional, around half highlighted that it is not fulfilling the needs of the community.

The spread of waterborne infectious diseases is one of the major challenges in flood affected communities, particularly in those areas where water remains stagnant for long periods of time. Key informants reported a very high prevalence of diseases, often communicable diseases, in their communities. Eighty-six per cent of KIs reported that members of their communities were suffering from diarrhea. Followed by 83 per cent who reported the prevalence of malaria and dengue, 77 per cent reported cough, cold and fever as well as skin infections. Lack of access to healthcare services and crowding compound the risk of death from these infections. Maternal and child health is another priority area that requires immediate attention, as physical access-related constraints, coupled with deteriorated healthcare systems pose additional risks. The trauma of the floods, displacement and loss of livelihoods, coupled with other concerns, is causing severe mental health issues among affected communities. As per the finding of the assessment, more than 50 per cent of KIs reported psychosocial and mental health issues in their communities.

Floods have severely affected water sources. A significant number of communities shifted from protected water sources to unprotected sources. Seventy per cent of communities surveyed reported that drinking water is not clean, with 64 per cent of key informants in affected districts reporting access to safe drinking water as a serious problem. These concerns were most prevalent in Sindh. Unprotected water sources, along with wrecked waste-disposal systems and sewerage increase the risk of disease transmission.

Food remains the top priority need for all affected communities. Due to floods, food stocks have been lost, income resources were shattered and access to markets was restricted. This has resulted in a significant reduction in food consumption by men, women and children. Provision of food aid remained limited, and communities have had to adopt negative coping strategies.

The devastating impacts on livelihoods have also exacerbated the food security situation. Livestock, crops and orchards have been reported to be damaged and destroyed. Overall, 31 per cent of livestock holders have lost at least one animal/poultry due to floods, with the highest proportion in Sindh (44 per cent) followed by Punjab (35 per cent) and KP (25 per cent). In addition, around 18 percent of livestock holders sold at least one animal/poultry due to floods (distress sale), mainly in Sindh (30 per cent) followed by Punjab (21 per cent). Fifty-four per cent of affected households reportedly lost fodder/feed stored for their livestock. Fifty per cent of animal shelters/sheds have been damaged. Consequently, livestock holders are facing a severe shortage of fodder/feed for livestock. Further, a very high number of communities (85 per cent) observed signs of animal disease outbreak in their communities.
Agriculture is also among the worst affected sectors. As per MSRNA, overall, floods damaged 70 per cent of crops/vegetable area and around 30 per cent of orchard areas in affected districts. Highest crops/vegetable damages have been reported in Sindh (82 per cent), followed by Punjab (76 per cent) and KP (63 per cent), whereas orchards were mostly affected in Sindh (47 per cent) followed by KP (24 per cent). Agriculture infrastructure was also badly affected, including irrigation systems (67 per cent KIs reported severe damages) and farm-to-market roads. Due to prolonged inundation, there is a risk that farmers may miss the upcoming Rabi season (October-May), which will have long-term negative consequences on the food security situation of rural communities.

Reconstruction of basic shelter infrastructure is vital to begin the journey on the pathway to recovery.
MSRNA findings highlighted that around one-third of the houses in affected districts were fully destroyed and are not repairable. In addition, 28 per cent of houses were partially damaged. Although reparable, these households may require support. Damages to houses was significantly higher in Sindh where 51 per cent of houses in affected areas were fully damaged and 29 per cent were partially damaged.

MSRNA findings also indicate that the magnitude of malnutrition is so great that the general public recognizes it as a serious threat to the lives of children. Overall, 62 per cent of KIs perceived that children’s nutrition is a major issue in their community. In Sindh, 64 per cent of KIs perceived nutrition as an emergency. Restricted access to nutrition services exacerbates the situation.

The large-scale destruction of school facilities put more than 1.96 million children at risk of losing out on education. There is an immediate need to provide safe and protected learning spaces to children, including adolescents, displaced by the recent floods to prevent protracted learning losses. The top three needs identified by community members in surveyed districts include setting up safe spaces to hold classes for girls and boys (43 per cent), repairing damaged classes (38 per cent), and establishing learning spaces in close proximity to communities for safe access, especially for girls (27 per cent).

The MSRNA findings also identified a range of protection-related concerns for community members, gender-specific risks, physical safety risks and the impact on mental health for all, including children. During the assessment, dedicated interviews were conducted with disabled persons and minorities and their specific needs are highlighted in the report. Prevalence of other vulnerable groups, including pregnant and lactating women, female and child-headed households, elderly and disabled persons and minorities were also covered. Findings also shed light on issues raised about humanitarian assistance, its coverage, awareness about complaint and feedback mechanisms, and evaluation of the behavior of aid workers. These findings will be helpful for the humanitarian community to ensure quality assistance delivery and accountability to the affected population. The relief and early recovery needs prioritized by the communities will clarify the priorities of the communities and can provide bases for the humanitarian response planning.