River Indus Flooding in Pakistan 2010

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River Indus Flooding in Pakistan 2010

Causes

  • Physical Cause: Climate Change
  • Physical Cause: Rare meteorological pattern in Summer of 2010 allowed storms to spread into Pakistan
  • Physical Cause: North West province of Khyber Pakhunkhwa was hit by a 5 day period of precipitaion; 60 hours of continuous rainfall; exceeded the total of a 3 month monsoon by 30%
  • Human Cause: Construction of levées in Sind; raised the river channel above the surrounding flood plains, leaving them exposed to flooding
  • Human Cause: Widespread Deforestation under Taliban rule in The Swat Valley
  • Human Cause: Climate Change

Effects

  • Environment: 1/5 of Pakistan was submerged by the floods. Vast stretches of countryside became swamps or resembled an inland sea.
  • Environmental: 11,000 villages inundated and 1.2 million houses were damaged or destroyed.
  • Environmental: 7 million ha of fertile, arable land destroyed.
  • Environmental: flooding of crops and loss of grain stores in province of Punjab led to the doubling/tripling of bread prices. Agriculture cost was put at £1.5 billion at the end of August.
  • Environmental: ancient ruins of Mohenjo-Daro were at risk because it was alleged that floodways (e.g. dams) were deliberately breached to release pressure.
  • Environmental: bridges and roads washed away; including the Karakoram Highway
  • Human: 600 fatalities in the early stages; mostly caused by violent walls of water sweeping people away
  • Human: reported 14 million affected by mid-August. 6 million were children and 3 million
  • Human: 300,000 refugees gathered in Sukkur in Sind province; 20 relief camps were full and people slept on roadside.
  • Human: Conditions were hot and humid, encouraging swarms of mosquitos which plagued the refugees, who also had no reliable supplies of food and water
  • Human: Many villages isolated and many took refuge on raised embankments. Many farmers refused to rescued unless they could take their animals with them.

Overall summary

Main Causes: Climate Change, Extended Rainfall Main Impact: 14 million affected, including 300,000 refugees, 

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