Floods worsen Pakistan’s food insecurity, according to the World Bank.
According to the World Bank, floods in Pakistan has worsened historically high levels of food insecurity (WB).
In its most recent report, “Food Security Update,” the World Bank highlighted that heavy monsoon rains since June 2022 (67 percent above average levels) and increased glacier melting owing to severe heat events had caused significant flash floods and landslides in Pakistan.
Heavy monsoon rainfall-induced floods has destroyed infrastructure and caused deaths in Pakistan since mid-June 2022.
Since September 6, 33 million people have been impacted in 81 districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh, according to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority.
Rainfall that has been much greater than the 30-year normal has seriously harmed agricultural areas, livestock assets, forests, and agricultural infrastructure.
Rural areas that depend on agriculture and animals for a living are particularly heavily struck.
According to the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED), substantial damage to transportation infrastructure has resulted in rapid food availability and price increases in impacted communities.
ACTED teams surveyed communities in Balochistan and Sindh that reported no access to food and, in some instances, no access to local markets.
Furthermore, the OCHA Humanitarian Advisory Team in Pakistan estimates that 73 percent of families in flood-affected regions do not have enough money to purchase food.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), approximately 1.2 million hectares of agricultural land in Sindh have been devastated, with disastrous consequences for livelihoods and food production in the area.
Although more accurate estimates of the extent of the damage are forthcoming, a recent study used remote sensing technology to estimate production losses in the Sindh region of 193 tonnes of rice (80% of total production), 3.1 million bales of cotton (88%) and 10.5 million tonnes of sugarcane (80% of total output) (66 percent of total production).
In Balochistan, 61% of livestock keepers in examined areas reported transboundary animal illness symptoms.
Approximately half of flood-affected families in Balochistan make a livelihood by maintaining animals; 36% have reported losing at least one livestock asset, 46% have reported damage to livestock shelters, and 29% have reported loss of animal fodder.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority, 500,000 heads of cattle have been lost in Balochistan as a result of the rains and floods, accounting for 66 percent of the roughly 755,000 animal fatalities documented nationally.
Flooding has worsened historically high levels of food insecurity in Pakistan, where 4.66 million people are predicted to have endured crisis conditions or worse (IPC Phase 3 or higher) from October 2021 to March and April 2022.
Moreover, in 2021, Pakistan ranked ninth out of ten nations and territories with the most people in crisis or worse (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above) or similar.
Multiple shocks, including high food and fuel costs, drought, animal illnesses, and widespread loss of income-generating possibilities as a result of COVID-19, have previously exacerbated food insecurity in the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh.
According to the FAO, over 510,000 of the 1.9 million people in need of food security and agricultural support in the impacted regions are on the verge of starvation. According to the World Bank’s Pakistan Climate Risk Nation Profile, the country is very sensitive to climate change, with an increasing incidence of drought conditions predicted.
Extreme climatic events are expected to become more frequent and intense, increasing catastrophe risks, especially for vulnerable poor and minority communities.
Flooding will impact an increasing number of people, with a probable rise of roughly 5 million people exposed to severe river floods between 2035-2044 and a possible increase of nearly 1 million yearly exposed to coastal flooding between 2070-2100. Many important food and economic crops, including cotton, wheat, sugarcane, maize, and rice, are projected to have lower yields.
Food aid and livelihood assistance to smallholder farmers and livestock keepers in affected areas are critical for mitigating the effects of floods on food insecurity in Pakistan. According to OCHA, relief food aid and livelihood support have been given to almost 410,000 individuals in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh, including food assistance for up to 117,000 people in Sindh.
The Pakistani government immediately responded by allocating $173 million in cash handouts to 1.5 million flood-affected people. The government has created a multi-sectoral flood response initiative with the United Nations to assist 5.2 million people over the next six months. This strategy, which is expected to cost $160.3 million, includes steps to reestablish agricultural and livestock-based livelihood activities for the next planting season as well as promote nutrition programmes.
