*This report is a product of the DEEP Remote Analysis Team comprising analysts and other professionals from Data Friendly Space (DFS). DFS wants to acknowledge the significant contributions of its staff to the analytical process, as well as their roles in the publication and finalisation of this report. The DEEP Remote Analysis Team has worked to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the findings presented herein. DFS appreciates the collaborative effort in bringing forth this comprehensive report, reflecting the combined expertise of all teams involved.
Key developments
- A combination of heavy rains, an overflowing from the Indus River and glacial lake outbursts, have inundated much of the country, particularly affecting Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh provinces, resulting in extreme urban and flash flooding and landslides.
- A third of the country is under water and 33 million people (15% of the population) have been affected, of which 6.6 million severely, by torrential rains and floods, raising the number of officially 'disaster-hit' districts to 80.
- The number of homes damaged or destroyed in Pakistan has tripled since last week, with 1.1 million houses affected as of 31 August (NDMA 01/09/2022).
- 1,191 people have lost their lives and more than 3,500 have been injured (NDMA 01/09/2022).
- More than 5,000 km of roads have been damaged by these rains and more than 243 bridges have been affected across the country. Several national highways and railways remain disrupted (NDMA 01/09/2022).
- Diarrhoea, skin infections and gastrointestinal illnesses have markedly appeared in flooded areas, aggravated by the exponential increase of open defecation and the lack of access to health services, especially in rural areas of Balochistan (IRC 22/08/2022, UNICEF 01/09/2022).
- Between 60% and 70% of the population in affected areas of Balochistan and Sindh lack access to water and consider accessing safe drinking water as a serious problem (IRC 22/08/2022, IR 31/08/2022).
- The lack of safe areas is a major protection issue for 47% of women in affected areas, especially in Sindh province, where the high rate of displacement (23% of the population) prevents women from having private spaces (IR 31/08/2022).
- 78% of affected communities in Sindh and Balochistan have insufficient resources to manage food needs (IR 31/08/2022).
- A flood response plan has been developed to complement the government's overall response and is intended to help the approximately 5.2 million affected over the next six months (UNOCHA 31/08/2022, NDMA 01/09/2022).
Risks
- As the monsoon season is still ongoing and normal to above normal precipitations are forecasted for the rest of the month, the risk of further flooding will persist throughout September. Further flooding due to continued rainfall, high river and dams water levels.
- Risk of water-borne disease outbreaks due to damaged WASH facilities and contaminated water and mosquito-borne diseases due to stagnating water.
- High levels of physical constraints due to increasing number of roads and bridges damaged, hampering needs assessments and response.
- The Climate Change Minister warned of high implications for food productivity for the next season, as Sindh province is half of Pakistan's breadbasket (France 24 29/08/2022).
