Three-year data: Monsoon flooding claimed 1,029 lives

Law, Justice and Climate Change Minister Zahid Hamid releases figures before the Senate in response to a question

ISLAMABAD: Flash flooding triggered by torrential rain led to 1,029 deaths in the monsoon season over the last three years, Law, Justice and Climate Change Minister Zahid Hamid said on Thursday.

In the same period, between 2014 and 2016, another 1,297 people were injured and 4.5 million affected in the flash floods.

The minister shared the data before the Senate in response to a question asked by Tahir Mashhadi of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.



The highest number of casualties was recorded in the 2014 monsoon when 367 people were killed and 232 others received injuries. Some 107,102 houses were damaged and 4,065 villages were affected in the same period.

As per the data, the monsoon impacted the lives of 2.53 million people in four provinces, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B). The local disaster management authorities evacuated about 683,930 people and about 518,715 patients were treated.

During 2014 the death ratio was the highest in Punjab with 286 casualties and 512 injuries. About 100,000 houses were also damaged in the province. There were 56 civilian deaths reported in AJK  with 111 injured followed by 13 deaths in G-B and 12 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

In 2015, deaths of about 238 people was recorded with 232 people injured and about 1.5 million affected with higher damages in K-P with 109 deaths and 148 injured.

About 11,390 houses were damaged and 4,113 villages affected with 17 deaths in AJK, 15 in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and 12 in Balochistan.

Similarly, during the pre-monsoon rains of 2016 about 271 people were killed and 279 injured and this time again 157 deaths in K-P, 38 in Fata. About 2,929 houses were damaged of which 1,927 were partially damaged and 1,002 completely destroyed.

According to the data, during the monsoon of 2016 about 153 deaths were reported and 113 injuries while about 1,456 houses were damaged. Again K-P had the highest death toll of 69 followed by 29, 27 and 18 in Punjab, Fata and Balochistan, respectively.

Measures

About the measures taken to prevent such casualties, the report stated the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is proactively working to reduce risks and vulnerabilities to disasters and provide coping mechanisms/framework to climate change phenomenon.

The NDMA formulated National Disaster Risk Reduction Policy in 2013, providing an overall guiding framework for building resilience of the country to disasters.

It aims at strengthening disaster preparedness and response capabilities, improving Early Warning System, building capacities of disaster management practitioners at all levels, communities and strengthening structural and non-structural resilience of infrastructure, it said.



The report suggests that monsoon preparations now start in January every year.

With NDMA assistance, the government also conducts high-level regional consultative meetings, joint reconnaissance of flood protection structures by army, irrigation departments and officials of provincial governments for rectification of observations.

The National Monsoon Contingency Response Directive, based on Pakistan Metrological Department’s forecast of the monsoon season with provincial/regional input to face challenges, is issued every year in June.

The directive also outlines a comprehensive preparedness, prevention, mitigation, rescue and relief plan.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2017.