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Pakistan, Asia Pacific | Monsoon Floods, Revised Emergency Appeal No. MDRPK023

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Pakistán
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IFRC
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SITUATION OVERVIEW

Starting from mid-June 2022, unprecedented monsoon rain triggered one of Pakistan's worst floods in decades. The country received nearly three times more rainfall during this monsoon than the national 30-year average.

The Government of Pakistan officially declared the floods a “national emergency” on 25 August 2022. The situation has evolved close to a public health crisis, and millions are faced with acute food insecurity for a long time to come.

One-third of Pakistan’s territory and around 33 million people have been impacted by the floods in 84 calamity declared districts, of which 32 are in Balochistan, 23 in Sindh, 17 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 9 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and 3 in Punjab. The number of people affected represents the entire population of Sweden, Finland,
Norway, Denmark, Ireland, and Slovakia combined.

Between 26 September and 2 October, almost 25 per cent of the country was still underwater 4 and there are still about 15 million individuals who could be affected by flooding or live nearby. In KP, waters have receded and people are slowly returning to their home areas in need of early recovery support. In Sindh and Balochistan receding has also begun, but especially in parts of Sindh, the emergency continues and flooding may still occur in the southern parts. According to provincial authorities, completion of the receding of waters will take 3-6 more months.

More than 2 million houses have been damaged or destroyed leaving approximately 8 million people displaced and approximately 600,000 people living in relief camps. Almost 88 per cent of the destruction of houses occurred in Sindh, which has borne also the brunt of the damage to roads and bridges, leaving people stranded in many places.

Destruction of water, sanitation and health facilities has caused a heightened risk of a public health crisis. Assessments are illustrating increased trends in water- and vector-borne diseases, with outbreaks of diarrheal diseases, measles, skin infections, respiratory tract infections, malaria, and dengue, particularly in Sindh and Balochistan. In Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi, hundreds of dengue patients are being admitted to hospitals daily. Over 134,000 cases of diarrhoea and 44,000 cases of malaria are reported in Sindh.

Access to already limited health services is constrained further due to the damage to over 1,400 health facilities across Sindh and Balochistan. There is a shortage of particularly female doctors. Maternal and child health care require immediate attention as restrictions related to physical access, combined with deteriorating health systems, pose additional risks. There have also been 20 cases of children paralyzed by wild polio8 – Pakistan is a polio-endemic country.

Access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene are of serious concern. According to estimates, 20 per cent of water systems are damaged in KP, around 30 per cent in Baluchistan, and up to 50 per cent in the floodaffected areas of Sindh. Unprotected water sources and disrupted waste disposal systems increase the risk of disease transmission.

In the newest projections, more than 8.6 million people will face crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity (IPC 3+) mainly in Sindh and Balochistan. The acute food insecurity in the coming months is driven by the destruction of crops, agricultural land, livelihood assets, and livestock. Many households confide in agriculture and livestock for their livelihoods in the flood-extended areas. Therefore, livestock losses and widespread crop damage have a major impact on the economy. Most of the 1.2 million livestock loss has been reported in Balochistan, while 73 per cent of the 2.6 million hectares of standing “Kharif” crops adversely affected were mainly in Sindh. The area affected by floods represents about 35 per cent of the total area planted for cereals, sugarcane and cotton during the 2022 “Kharif” season.

The priority needs are preventative public health interventions, including rehabilitation of water and sanitation facilities and hygiene campaigns for the prevention of disease transmission, increased access to health services, maternal and child health care interventions, shelter items and winterization support in the cold areas, and assistance to meet basic needs and to recover livelihoods. Detailed assessments will be carried out to ascertain the recovery needs more in detail.

Protection concerns underpin the overall picture. Enhanced attention is required on reaching the most vulnerable, including the refugees, undocumented migrants and other marginalised groups, as well as on prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, the risk of which is increased during displacement and in the face of food insecurity.