Pakistan is ranked No. 5th most affected country in South Asia, who suffered from the adversity of severe floods in 2022. Every year, the glaciers of the Himalayas are melting due to increased heat. These melting glaciers are causing a surge in the level of river waters and are a significant reason why Pakistan has gone through devastating floods this year.
The Severe Consequences of Flood
The flood this has affected more 7 million people in Pakistan. The effects include the destruction of roads and bridges, making it impossible for people to get to the places they need to go. The floods have caused extensive damage to homes and business areas. The crops are destroyed, leaving people without any food. Livestock is ruined, leaving people without any source of income. People are displaced, often ending up in refugee camps where they have no access to food and shelter.
Shortage of Food
Pakistan is located in an area of the Earth that is affected by two major weather systems such as increased heat and drought during June and July and extremely heavy rains during monsoon season. The record-breaking rains during this monsoon have ruined not only the infrastructure, but nearly half of the country’s harvest is washed away due to which the flood victims are facing a shortage of food and the non-victims are dealing with skyrocketing inflation issues.
Poverty
According to the research, the floods have a direct impact on Pakistan’s national poverty rate, which has risen by 2.5 to 4.0 percent and has a negative impact on human development in the disaster-affected areas.
The severe floods and soaring inflation have a negative effect on poverty. Floods in Sindh and Baluchistan’s rural districts, where poverty rates are already high, largely hit rural communities even if rising prices reduced the real purchasing power of all people. The poor households are disproportionately impacted by the loss of crop and assets like homes and livestock, as well as increased prices, because they are more dependent on agricultural revenue and spend a bigger percentage of their income on food.
Climate Change, A leading Cause of Floods
These disastrous effects of climate change are posing threats not only to poor and underdeveloped countries but also to developed countries. This catastrophe has generated traumatic experiences for almost 7 Million people as nearly one-third of the whole nation is underwater now and this intense situation is giving a wake-up call to all climate-vulnerable states.
Negligence in Water Infrastructure
Moreover, the reasons behind the devastating consequences could have been the inability of the government to take action in such areas. The experts have long accused the nation of neglecting its water infrastructure, which has reduced its ability to withstand surges in river flow.
Deforestation
Deforestation is another reason behind Pakistan’s current situation. Pakistan is the 2nd most unfortunate country in South Asia facing deforestation. It has been researched and verified that in 1947 when Pakistan got independent, nearly 35% of its land is covered by forests which is regrettably reduced to 7% now. The substandard drainage systems have also worsened the situation, and unregulated construction on floodplains has led to more property damage and life hazards.
Although the situation is worse and more disastrous still we have certain ways to help our nation suffer less from climate change effects. The first and most beneficial thing for all of us is to plant a tree. If we take this responsibility and plant more trees, it means we are taking a step toward the betterment of our future generations. So, our next generations would be safe from such calamities. Furthermore, all of us must use public transport or bicycle instead of motorbikes and cars because the immense amount of the fuel burning is the main reason why climate change is going adverse every year and causing such natural disasters.