KARACHI:
Since Pakistan’s inception, the country has been faced with recurrent floods, which have destroyed infrastructure, taken many lives, and caused heavy economic losses. Flood management has been particularly difficult in Pakistan because the nature of floods varies across the country. Some factors include climatic, physiographic, and socio-economic situations.
The three distinct physiographic regions include the mountain ranges in the north, the Balochistan plateau, and the Indus River plains. The hydrology of floods is closely linked to physiographic features along with climatology. Fluvial flooding, flash flooding, and floods due to whirlwinds and localised rain i.e., monsoon rains are all devastating. In Pakistan, the spatial variability of rainfall is quite high and is the main source of floods, especially in the Indus Basin.
Although different strategies have been implemented for flood protection, they have had little impact. For instance, bunds were constructed to protect infrastructure and embankments were controlled and double-lined. To effectively manage floods, both structural and non-structural measures should be adopted. Proper apparatus should be used for flood forecasting and a legal framework should be set up for building infrastructure. Also, a widespread awareness campaign should be initiated to inform people of the harmful impact of deforestation and urbanisation. Building new dams is also critical for effective flood management.
Dr Intikhab Ulfat
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, July 6th, 2022.
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