LAHORE: Neither the federal nor any provincial government has been able to develop and adopt operational procedures for responding to disasters, especially floods, despite repeated enquiries of donors including World Bank.
Moreover, there are no standard operating procedures (SOPs) developed yet for Punjab Disaster Management Fund at the advent of monsoon as well. Documents available with Pakistan Today indicate that a number of risk identification studies have been completed; however, the establishment of Support System is waiting for the finalising of decision. Meanwhile, the documents say that only 10 percent length of embankments has been rehabilitated or constructed within 2 years from 2015.
According to the documents for a $150 million Disaster Resilience Improvement Project, which aims to restore resilient flood protection infrastructure and strengthen government capacity to manage disasters and climate variability, Pakistan faces a major financing challenge arising from natural catastrophes, with flooding causing an estimated annual economic impact of between 3 and 4 percent of the Federal Budget. On average, approximately 3 million people are affected by natural catastrophes each year in Pakistan, which equates to approximately 1.6 percent of the total population.
According to a historical analysis, floods remain the dominant hazard in Punjab, despite a history of other disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and droughts in the province. Floods in 1992, 1994, 1997, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 have led to the loss of precious human lives and caused significant damages to public and private property. Floods in 2014 resulted in 286 deaths, with approximately 100,000 houses damaged and 2.47 million people directly affected due to inundation or displacement. These disastrous events have continuously led to the disruption of economic activity and service delivery, in addition to burdening the public exchequer to provide for relief, recovery, and rehabilitation.
The low-lying areas close to the banks of the Indus River and its tributaries experience regular flooding on an almost yearly basis during annual monsoon season which takes place from July to September. Snowmelt from the Karakoram, Hindu Kush and Himalayan mountains further feed the floodplains during this period, especially the catchment areas of Indus River. As a result, several districts in the north and center of the province have become prone to floods. Further, flash floods and hill torrents are also a regular feature in Southern Punjab as is the risk of urban flooding in major cities due to various human factors such as rapid urbanisation, unplanned development, and settlements, encroachments on waterways and solid waste dumping.
Documents suggest that landslides have been on the increase in recent years with the impact of deforestation and flooding and are particularly common in the most mountainous districts. These northern districts lie over an active seismic zone with the whole region at high risk. The Northern Districts are still also recovering from extensive infrastructural damage incurred during the 2005 earthquake in which 73,338 people died, 128,304 people were injured, 600,000 houses were destroyed, and 3.5 million people displaced. The earthquake caused extensive damage to roads, water and sanitation facilities, power, and telecommunication infrastructure and other services.
