Monsoon is an annual climate phenomenon in Subcontinent and because many of river basins in the region are irrigated with rain water stored in water reservoirs it is considered the lifeline of all crops and livestock. Like other countries of the region, Pakistan also receive maximum rain fall during this season and this is time of year when dams are filled and rivers often overflow causing flooding in the rivers.
Indus River system relies on monsoon rainfalls and so does world’s largest canal irrigation system located in Pakistan. Indus River system consists of 5 main rivers Indus, Jelhem, Chenab, Sutlej, Ravi, and countless small and large tributary rivers and nallahs etc. Pakistan’s canal system stems from these rivers which are also inter-linked with Link-Canals.
There has been a pattern of high and super floods after every 10 and 30 years respectively in Indus River system. These floods cause massive damage to property and lives. But, it is also true that Pakistan struggles to overcome challenges ushered by rains in the monsoon season particularly in areas near river banks and cities like Karachi. This year too, monsoon rainfall remained unusually high causing urban flooding in many cities including the largest metropolis of the country; Karachi.
This year’s monsoon has been particularly ruthless which has been wreaking havoc in Baluchistan, KPK and main cities like Karachi since last 6 weeks. So far, more than 300 lives have been lost along with hundreds of houses washed off in Baluchistan. This calamity offers an urgent reminder that we have entered a dangerous era of global warming, extreme climate changes and weather events — and that Pakistan’s major cities remain woefully ill-equipped to handle them. Majority of those killed by floods were women and children. It is estimated that around 6000 houses have been demolished by floods mainly in Baluchistan and KPK.
The floods have turned main roads into rivers. Houses have been filled with sewage that spewed out of maintenance holes. Electricity has been suspended for hours or days to prevent exposed wires from coming into contact with water in the streets and electrocuting people. The devastation has brought the port city to a standstill for days on end and killed at least 31 people, many of whom were electrocuted or drowned after roofs and walls collapsed on top of them, according to the provincial disaster agency.
Furthermore, Pakistan’s deadly flood season has been worsened by climate change and badly built and inadequate infrastructure. Bridges, for example, were not built keeping in mind the raise in river water during flood seasons resultantly flood demolished many such bridges in KPK and Baluchistan.
Pakistan has long ranked among the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, according to the Global Climate Risk Index, which tracks the devastating human and economic toll of extreme weather events. The country is estimated to have lost nearly 10,000 lives to climate-related disasters and suffered losses worth billions of dollars between 1998 and 2018.
Majority of climate experts has a consensus that the climate-related calamities are going to increase in the future. The rains this year have been 87% heavier than the average downpour, according to Sherry Rehman, the country’s minister for climate change, who linked the new weather pattern to climate change.
This year’s floods are also different from previous monsoon floods in their sheer intensity in small span of time giving no time for rescue operators to initiate their operations. Unfortunately, country’s first responders during this devastation remained criminally ill prepared. This is why most analysts, in Pakistan, blame increasing monsoon devastation on a combination of factors in which poor planning and preparation is at top of the list. Climate change is causing heavier rains, government officials have shown in competence and inability to coordinate, and sporadic urban planning has left major cities particularly vulnerable to damage.
In the backdrop of above analysis, it is high time for Pakistan to devise policies to adapt to climate changes at war footing. Pakistan is among the list of top 5 high risk countries due to climate changes. NCOC model needs to be implemented on permanent basis to propose projects across the country for coping with climate changes.