Disastrous floods are leaving millions desperately seeking help to survive in Pakistan.
By: Mihika Yadav and Anjo Chu
Children in Pakistan being hauled in an unconventional manner as a result of the floods
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described the recent Pakistan super floods as a ‘climate catastrophe’.
More than 33 million people have been impacted by the recent Pakistan floods, among which are over 3.4 million children that require urgent support. Apart from that, around 650,000 of those impacted are said to be pregnant women.
The death toll has surpassed 1,600 people, exacerbated by the remote nature of these villages. Towns have been cut off, making it difficult for family members to get medical attention for ailing members of their family, especially children. Aadarsh Leghari, UNICEF's Communication Officer in Pakistan, has said that "many children are not even reaching hospitals because the medical facilities they could access are either underwater or just not accessible."
Image depicting the extent of Pakistan’s floods
The number of malnourished kids suffering from unpleasant skin disorders, diarrhoea, malaria, and dengue fever continuously increases. Steady sources of clean drinking water and food are rapidly depleting, completely inaccessible to those who are impoverished.
These children are all suffering as a result of a climate and political disaster that they are not to blame for.
Pakistan has recently suffered intense heat, with summertime highs that consistently reached well over 45°C. Paired with record monsoon rains, sediment from melting glaciers from the Himalayas has made its way into Pakistan's river systems.
Apart from climate-related factors, the government’s unpreparedness is to blame as the severity of the flooding has been aggravated by inadequate infrastructure and floodplains. People have criticized the construction of major infrastructures, such as highways and embankments, without taking into account the natural drainage system or the slope of the ground.
This crisis has also exposed many inequalities in the agriculture sector.
The Indus River has historically provided water to adjacent fields to facilitate irrigation system expansion and agricultural growth. These embankments have been provided government support to protect farm sites from unanticipated flooding. However, this is typically only applicable to wealthier farmers, leaving underprivileged farmers highly susceptible to crop damage and loss of livestock. Around 8 million animals have been wiped out by the floods, and 2 million acres of crops ruined.
To put this into perspective, approximately 90% of Pakistan’s crops are compromised and this number is only projected to grow. In addition, given that agriculture employs around 40% of Pakistan's workers, inflation is anticipated to intensify and underemployment to rise. The fallout of this is likely to reach the healthcare and education sectors as food sources deplete and mobility lacks.
Image of flooded farmland in Pakistan
In Pakistan's 75-year history, this year's floods are the worst and deadliest on record.
Although Pakistan generates less than 1% of the world's carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, it was listed as one of the top 10 countries most prone to the consequences of climate change by the Global Climate Risk Index.
Although this situation only discusses the climate crisis’ detrimental effects on Pakistan, it should be duly noted that this is beginning to impact many other countries as well.
Cases like the Pakistan floods further evoke the urgency of the climate crisis and how the people who are least to blame get affected the highest by these ever changing conditions.
CNA states that in order to find meaningful solutions for this inequality, “science and policy must connect climate change risks and mitigation measures in an actionable way”.
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