An Integrated Approach to Flood Risk Management

Pakistan is currently experiencing a massive climate disaster that has turned into a human disaster. According to the United Nations Environment Program 2022 (UNEP), catastrophic floods have hit Pakistan in recent weeks that have killed over 1,000 people, displaced close to 500,000, and impacted the lives of over 30 million residents. Due to the current floods, about one-third of the country has been submerged in water. Considering the worst impacts of the current flood crisis, the government of Pakistan needs to advance its broader development and climate agendas effectively, consistently across sectors, and with longer-term viability. In this case, a long-term integrated flood risk management strategy must be implemented to accelerate flood resilience, build capacity, and promote sustainable development in the country.

This article by the Iqbal Institute of Policy Studies (IIPS) will discuss the flood crisis in Pakistan, what made it vulnerable to flood disasters, and why it needs an integrated approach to flood risk management.

History of Flooding in Pakistan

Pakistan has always been a victim of natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. In 2010, the Pakistan flood in late July and August led to a humanitarian disaster and is considered to be one of the worst in Pakistan’s history. The flood affected around 20 million people, destroyed crops and infrastructure, and left millions of vulnerable people to malnutrition and waterborne disease. According to estimates, around 1,200 to 2,200 people have been badly affected, while 1.6 million houses were damaged or destroyed, leaving an estimated 14 million people without homes. Although there were many floods in the 1990s, the 2010 flood was considered one of the worst flood disasters.

At that time, the federal and provincial governments, along with non-government organisations made relief efforts and provided emergency help to the affected population. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported the distribution of over 1.1 million blankets, 184,035 tons of food items, and the rescue of almost 1.4 million people. Furthermore, to provide cash to the flood-affected population, the Government of Pakistan in collaboration with NADRA distributed 977,570 Watan Cards (PKR. 20,000 per family) throughout the country. Civil and private sectors have also played their role in providing relief to the affected population in the form of clean water, water purification kits, food, kitchen sets and shelter items, sanitation kits and hygiene supplies, doctors and medical supplies, and mobile and basic health care units.

Despite all these efforts, the government needed a comprehensive flood risk management strategy to mitigate the impact of such disasters in the future. In this context, the Government of Pakistan embraced its 10-year National Flood Protection Plan in 2015. The national strategy emphasised integrated flood management and soft measures, such as mapping floodplains and restoring the watershed and forests upstream. But unfortunately, this 10-year strategy didn’t work long and Pakistan faced flood calamity again.

What can be Integrated Flood Management (IFM)

Integrated flood management focuses on water management resources, land use management, and risk management approaches. IFM aims to maximise the net benefits from flood plains, meanwhile minimising loss of life. The concept of IFM rests upon the consideration of the river basin as a unique system: interactions between land and water resources ensure that every change affects the other components positively or negatively. Furthermore, IFM focuses on strengthening the design and implementation of Integrated Flood Risk Management (IFRM) solutions, enhancing knowledge and application of IFRM strategies.

Present Scenario

This year, Pakistan experienced torrential rainfall that increased from its average level resulting in urban flooding in the country. According to the U.N, the current flood crisis is one of the worst natural disasters the country has experienced since 2010. The floods have caused massive displacement and damage across the country. Sixty-six districts have been officially declared to be ‘calamity hit’ by the Government of Pakistan, 31 in Balochistan, 23 in Sindh, nine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and three in Punjab. According to Pakistan’s Meteorological Department, the number of calamity-declared districts can be increased if rainfall continues. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reports that 33 million people in Pakistan 218,000 houses have been destroyed, and more than 793,900 livestock and around 2 million acres of crops and orchards have also been impacted.

Some Early Reforms

In response to this calamity, the government has made some initiatives like establishing a relief fund under which Rs 5 billion have already been released to provide relief to the flood victims. In addition, the government has earmarked around Rs 35 billion in aid to flood victims under the Benazir Income Support Program. Furthermore, the U.N and Humanitarian partners have also provided aid to the affected people. In addition, Canada has announced to donate $5 million to flood victims in Pakistan. However, all these measures are considered temporary reforms to overcome the crisis. Therefore, the country needs long-term comprehensive and sustainable policies that can help reduce the chances of floods in the future.

What made Pakistan Vulnerable to Flood Disasters?

Flood disasters are a clear manifestation of global warming. The high moisture in the air above the Indian Ocean has caused the increased monsoon rainfall.  However, Sindh and Balochistan received intense rainfall (784% and 500% more) than the usual August average. The increased rainfall has caused severe flood disasters in the country. One of the major causes of flood disasters is poor urban planning and lack of governance policy of the government. A large number of houses, buildings and other infrastructure (hotels, resorts) have been built on riverine. It is pertinent to mention here that infrastructure constructed at the riverbed is high at risk of flooding. Furthermore, the country lacks efficient water irrigation systems, flood alarm systems, and flood control dams. The lack of flood control dams and flood alarming systems further intensifies the situation and causes loss of human lives and infrastructure. Flooding does not just damage buildings and infrastructure but causes macroeconomic losses to the country. Now it is in dire need to develop a disaster risk management approach. Unfortunately, even after experiencing two major catastrophes in the last 17 years (the floods of 2010 and the earthquake of 2005), the country has been unable to institutionalise disaster management policies and practices to prevent and rescue, relieve, and recover from the worst form of natural calamity.

Pakistan Needs an Integrated Approach to Flood Risk Management

Pakistan lacks a governance policy to reduce flood threats. There is a violation of land use zoning in the riverine and torrent-hill flood-channel catchment regions that leads to disasters. Due to this, many buildings and tourism infrastructure constructed on the riverbed have been damaged. Land use zoning is a technical matter which is deeply embedded in and linked to governance. The channels carrying hill torrent water in the country are poorly maintained, and some have been encroached upon by unregulated construction. As a result, any unusual rain brings devastation. To solve these issues, the government needs to devise an integrated approach to flood risk management that could address the issues of flood forecasting and warning systems, floodplain policies and legislation, floodplain mapping and zoning, community preparedness, and institutional capacity building as nonstructural flood protection measures. The Integrated Flood Management (IFM) approach aims to maximise the productivity and efficient use of floodplains and coastal zones while minimising the loss of life and impact on livelihoods and assets through protective measures. This approach acts as a building block for designing well-balanced strategies and reducing flood risks.

Way Forward

To reduce flood calamities in the future, the government of Pakistan along with the management authorities should prepare a policy for flood risk management. The policy must emphasise integrated flood management and imperative measures to deal with floods more holistically. Under the policy, the authorities must present a River Act to stop encroachment on floodplains. The policy must focus on constructing large reservoirs and flood warning systems to reduce flood risks. Furthermore, the government must bring all the involved stakeholders on board, ensuring the proper operation and maintenance of irrigation structures. Also, the government must create (but also strengthen the existing ones), operate, and maintain organisations for disaster preparedness, relief, and recovery, which are all facets of governance. Moreover, the new plan must possess proper knowledge, upgraded solutions, and an integrated approach. The government must prepare a structural strategy that recommends flood protection works, flood protection structures across hill torrents, and construction of breaching sections at barrages/bridges while enhancing their capacity. Looking at the disastrous impacts of such disasters, it is high time to adopt the societal notion of governance.

Conclusion

For the last two decades, Pakistan has experienced adverse climate change impacts, be it earthquakes, forest fires, or floods. These cause widespread devastation, loss of human lives, and damage to personal property and critical health infrastructure.

The impact of such natural disasters intensifies due to mismanagement or poor governance and structural inefficiencies. Currently, floods have occurred mainly due to a lack of strategic policies and imperative measures. Indeed, a flood disaster is a natural calamity but its adverse effect can be mitigated by an integrated approach and strong governance. In this context, policymakers and management authorities are at the forefront of formulating and implementing planning policies that control such disasters in the future.