Islamabad, Pakistan, 29 August 2022 – The Aga Khan Development Network is responding to the torrential rains and devastating floods in Pakistan by evacuating residents to safer areas, and providing food, shelter and health care.
Over 1,000 people have died in Pakistan since June, in the worst floods the country has experienced in over a decade. The country is in a state of emergency, with Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman describing the situation as a climate-induced humanitarian disaster, or as she tweeted on 28 August:
“Pakistan has never seen an unbroken cycle of monsoons like this. 8 weeks of non-stop torrents have left huge swathes of the country under water. This is no normal season, this is a deluge from all sides, impacting 33 million plus people, which is the size of a small country.”
A combination of the rise in sea surface temperatures and the heatwaves over recent weeks have almost tripled the average rainfall across much of Pakistan, which is located in one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth. There has been severe flooding in Karachi and other parts of the country.
In the North, the heatwaves have also caused glacier melt and river levels are still rising. Though the communities in this mountainous region have long dealt with increased risks to natural hazards, this summer the multiplier effect of a warming climate is particularly alarming. Since June 160 incidents have been reported in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral.
When floods strike, drowning is only one of many threats. The lack of food and shelter, combined with sewage and waterborne diseases, are a significant concern. The destruction of homes, crops, livestock, schools, hospitals and transport infrastructure is set to cause longer-term difficulty for millions.
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AKDN has worked in Pakistan since 1905, assisting with disaster response for the past 25 years. Our agencies have mobilised to address urgent food, shelter and health needs.
The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) has been leading community-based disaster management and response initiatives for the last two decades, establishing early warning and weather monitoring systems, prepositioning emergency stockpiles, training emergency response volunteers, educating communities, and constructing protective walls and other mitigation measures. It has trained 36,000 community volunteers as first responders, based in over 170 community emergency response teams (CERTs). They work with communities before the onset of the monsoon season to prepare for the worst, developing disaster plans, practising drills and raising awareness.
At the onset of flooding AKAH rapidly mobilised emergency operation centres in Chitral, Gilgit, Karachi and Islamabad. They have been continuously assessing the situation, providing weather alerts, keeping residents informed and working with the authorities, including the army. The teams have evacuated more than 8,000 people in mountain areas and are providing supplies such as food, medicine and tents, as well as organising safe shelter in schools, community buildings and with host families. They have pumped water out of public buildings and are repairing infrastructure. Read more
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“All the early preparation work meant that communities in the northern parts of the country were relatively well prepared for the recent deluge,” said Nusrat Nasab, CEO of AKAH Pakistan. “At the same time, however, such events will likely become more frequent and so we are already working on longer-term climate risk mitigation strategies.”
Other parts of AKDN are also rolling up their sleeves to provide relief. Staff from Habib Bank Limited (HBL), Pakistan’s first and biggest commercial bank – and a project company of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development – are distributing ration bags across Balochistan, feeding 10,000 families.
The Aga Khan University is setting up healthcare camps and mobile units in affected areas, and providing medical support, including medication and other resources, to public facilities.
The frequency and intensity of extreme weather is expected to increase due to climate change. Rehabilitation efforts must not only help communities adapt to these growing risks but also combat future climate change, incorporating greener solutions, climate-resilient livelihood initiatives and longer-term, risk-informed planning. Read more about AKDN’s environmental commitment.
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