Pakistan Floods. Rapid Response Plan  September 2011

Pakistan Floods. Rapid Response Plan September 2011

Year of publication 2011

Pages 52 p.

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Document

Edition 1

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) Torrential monsoon rains have triggered severe flooding in Pakistan, primarily in Sindh Province. Before the monsoon season began, forecasts predicted 10% below normal rains for Sindh and the southern parts of the country for the 2011 monsoon season. However, by 10 August, heavy rains began affecting districts of southern Sindh and extended to the northern regions of the province and adjoining areas of south Punjab and north-eastern Balochistan. While this spell lasted till mid-August, anothe r more debilitating and sustained rain spell heavily affected areas across the entire Sindh Province from the end of August until 14 September. Concurrent impact in adjoining vast areas of Balochistan has resulted in serious humanitarian consequences including in South Punjab. In Sindh, the central and southern districts have been the worst affectedF1F. These rains caused widespread breaches in the agricultural and saline water canals, particularly in the Left Bank Outfall Drain, which exa cerbated flood impact in Badin, Mirpurkhas and Tharparkar districts, among others. Continued rains have seriously impeded delivery of emergency services and flood impacted mitigation works. Outflow of the draining flood water is compromised due to poor infrastructure and lack of maintenance of the drainage routes. Some parts of Karachi and Hyderabad have also experienced urban flooding. Flood waters are likely to stagnate in most of the affected regions for the foreseeable future. As the monsoon season continues, the impact upon the population is intensifying with 5.4 million people affected to date. In Sindh, in particular, the concentration is most severe and all 23 districts have been affected to some degree. It is expected that the population will continue to be uprooted from their homes to seek refuge in the short term as more areas are affected. While some are housed in Government appointed shelters, more seek higher ground along bunds and roads. In Balochistan, five districts are affected and notified (considered seriously affected by the national authorities).F2 The Government of Pakistan, through the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and utilising the Armed Forces‟ logistical capacity, has taken the lead in responding to the disaster with the deployment of rescue and life-saving relief operations. Responses are being adapted to the emerging situation as rains across Sindh and the southern part of the country are exceptional in their quantum and spatial impact. Vast tracts which include traditional camp sites are flooded. Utilizing the preparations made through the contingency planning process, shelter locations were identified, search and rescue capacities reinforced and mass communication schemes devised. These contingency plans were activated to alert population of potential flooding and to enable some to move to shelters in advance of the floods.F3F While the authorities are continuing to mobilize relief items for the af fected population, access issues due to damaged infrastructure and continuing heavy rain are hampering the delivery of aid. Over the medium to long-term relief, the food security situation in the country is likely to be affected by the significant loss of crops, agricultural land, and livestock. While the Government (NDMA and the Provincial Disaster Management Authorities) will lead the relief and recovery activities in flood-affected areas, the humanitarian community has been asked to suppo rt the response by covering gaps where the needs exceed the government‟s response capacity. In response to the Government‟s request for assistance on 6 September 2011, the Humanitarian Country Team has developed this Rapid Response Plan as a strategic plan to address the needs of the population in support to the Government‟s relief interventions. This plan will follow two phases: • The first phase focuses on critical needs of the severely affected families in the areas of food security, safe d rinking water and purification materials, sanitation and hygiene, emergency health services, tents and shelter kits, cooking sets, mosquito nets, and other non-food items along with critical early recovery, community restoration and capacity building needs. • The second phase will provide a revised plan based on data collected from needs assessments. This Rapid Response Plan seeks US$F4F356.7 million to enable United Nations agencies, nongovernmental organizations and the International Org anization for Migration to support the Government of Pakistan in addressing the needs of flood-affected families for six months. The plan will be revised within 30 days to more accurately reflect humanitarian needs as the situation evolves and additional assessments are completed which include early recovery strategies for helping people recover and rebuild their lives.

Language English

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Over the course of July and early August 2010, Pakistan experienced the worst monsoon-related floods in living memory. Heavy rainfall, flash floods and riverine floods have devastated large parts of Pakistan since the arrival of seasonal monsoon rains on 22 July. Assessments of losses and damages are ongoing, but estimates place the number of affected people at more than 14 million. Over 1,200 people have died, and at least 288,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Province, intense rains during the last week of July and in early August were compounded by the swelling of major rivers due to rainwater surging down from the highland areas. The Pakistan Meteorological Department reports that within one week in late July, KPK received 9,000 millimetres of rainfall - ten times as much as the province normally receives in the course of an entire year. Baluchistan, Pakistan-Administered Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, also experienced extreme weather, resu lting in widespread losses and damages. As the flood waters began to slowly recede in the northern provinces, rivers continued to swell to unprecedented levels and travel southwards by way of the Indus River. By early August, flood waters breached the river bank in at least eight districts of Punjab, devastating homes, and crops and livestock. At least eight million people in Punjab have been affected by the disaster. The flood wave continues to make its way through the southern province o f Sindh, where millions more are expected to suffer from the combined impact of torrential rains and unprecedented water levels in the rivers. The Government, especially deploying the Armed Forces' logistical capacity, has led the response to the disaster with the deployment of preparedness, rescue and relief actions. Hundreds of thousands have been rescued or preventively evacuated from riverine areas. In light of the devastation caused by the floods and the ongoing threat to lives and live lihoods, the Government (through its National Disaster Management Authority) requested the United Nations agencies and the humanitarian community to prepare an initial floods emergency response plan. Response Plan Key Parameters Affected population 14 million people Baluchistan Federally Administered Tribal Areas Gilgit-Baltistan Affected areas Khyber Pakthunkhwa Pakistan-Administered Kashmir Punjab Sindh Food Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Key sectors for response Health Shelter/Non-Food Items Total funding requested $459 million While the Government of Pakistan (National Disaster Management Authority and the Provincial Disaster Management Authorities) will lead the relief and recovery activities in flood-affected areas, the humanitarian community has been asked to support the response by covering gaps where the needs exceed the government’s response capacity. This means that the humanitarian community will be assisting only a portion of the overall caseload of affected peopl e, focusing on the most severely affected. The Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) expects that critical needs of the severely affected families will include food, clean drinking water and purification materials, emergency health services, tents and shelter kits, cooking sets, mosquito nets, and other non-food items (NFI). Over the medium to long term, the food security situation in the country is likely to be affected by the significant loss of crops and agricultural land. Compounding the deli very of this aid will be the issue of access to areas where destroyed infrastructure has made it impossible for aid to reach people by road. In addition, the security situation in some of the affected areas – especially parts of KPK – remains unpredictable. Considering the size of the area hit by the floods, the number of people who will be found to need assistance is expected to rise as assessments continue and access improves. The combined population of the affected districts is around 43 m illion (out of a total estimated Pakistan population of 168 million). Currently, UN agencies, NGOs and the International Organization for Migration are planning to assist vulnerable flood-affected people in up to seven different geographical areas (Baluchistan, Punjab, Federally Administered Tribal Area, Gilgit Baltistan, KPK, Pakistan-Administered Kashmir, Sindh). The emergency response plan therefore seeks US$460 million1 to enable international partners (UN organizations and non-governme ntal organizations [NGOs]) to support the Government of Pakistan in addressing the needs of flood-affected families for the duration of the immediate relief period. The plan will be revised within 30 days to reflect assessed needs as the situation evolves and will include strategies for assisting people with early recovery from the floods.
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The 2010 floods in Pakistan were one of the most devastating natural disasters of our times described as a slow motion tsunami. Beginning in late July, unexpectedly severe monsoon rains caused flash and riverine floods which combined to affect almost one-fifth of the country’s land mass, an area larger than Greece. The humanitarian impact was immense. The disaster affected more than 20 million people, claimed nearly 2 000 lives and destroyed 1.6 million homes and key infrastructu re in 78 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Jammu Kashmir, Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh. Agriculture – the basic livelihood for 80 percent of the affected population – was hardest hit, with the loss of 2.4 million hectares of unharvested crops, and damages estimated at USD 5.1 billion. The devastated area included a large portion of Pakistan’s most fertile land, including the breadbasket province of Punjab, and already vulnerable communities. The disaste r struck at a crucial point in the agricultural calendar. Not only was it just before the harvest of spring (kharif) planted crops, such as cotton, rice, maize, vegetables and sugar cane, but was also within weeks of the critical winter wheat (rabi) planting season. Livestock surviving the flood waters lacked feed, veterinary support and shelter. With existing and future sources of food and income washed away, there was urgency to prevent a domino effect, compounding already seve re losses. Agriculture and livelihoods have been a key pillar in the Pakistan Floods Relief and Early Recovery Response Plan, with linkages to ensure preparedness for future shocks,rehabilitation and development interventions.
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