Pakistan- Coping With Disasters

By: Aijaz Ali Khuwaja

In recent years, Pakistan’s rural and urban areas have been confronted with the devastating consequences of disasters. Simultaneous floods and heatwaves have taken toll of the communities. These twin disasters, once considered rare, are becoming increasingly frequent and severe due to the changing climate patterns exacerbated by human activities. The urban areas of Pakistan like Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi & even Islamabad are facing continuous heatwaves average above 40 degrees Celsius. Rural areas of Sindh are currently facing continues heatwaves average above 45 degrees Celsius. Hundreds of people have been died in last 3-4 months due to heatwaves across country. Heatwaves have been increased in recent years due to the impact of climate change. These continues and sustain heatwaves have melted glaciers, which will ultimately become cause of sever floods in months ahead. Floods, with heavy rainfall and overflowing rivers, have grown more frequent and intense.

We witnessed floods due to heavy rainfalls in 2022 and overflowing river's flood in 2010. These both events in 2010 & 2022 have killed thousands of people, destroyed homes, lands, standing crops, livestock and public and private infrastructure. Our economy has suffered trillions of dollars due to both disasters. These both disasters have impacted both urban and rural society. Thousands of people have been migrated towards the urban areas due to climate change linked migration. Current census of 2023 shows that Pakistan’s urban population has been increased upto 53%. This is a good omen as well as a permanent burden on already over populated urban areas. Recent heavy rain in Lahore has exposed drainage system, which ultimately flooded streets. The impact of flooding extends far beyond submerged streets and damaged homes. It disrupts critical infrastructure such as transportation networks and utilities, often leaving communities isolated and vulnerable. Moreover, floodwaters can be contaminated with sewage and industrial pollutants, posing significant health risks to residents.

In our rural areas, extended periods of abnormally high temperatures have profound impacts on public health, especially among vulnerable populations such as the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions. Heat-related illnesses such as heatstroke and dehydration become prevalent, straining healthcare resources and emergency services. Ratio of death in children and pregnant women have been increased due to sustain heatwaves. In both urban and rural areas death ratio has been increased since last four months due to continuous heatwave. The continuous heatwave in urban has exacerbates challenges in cities, where concrete and asphalt absorb and retain heat, elevating temperatures. Coupled with a lack of green spaces and inadequate ventilation, our urban centers can become heat traps, intensifying the impact of heatwave on residents, infrastructure, health, education, water & sanitation.

These both disasters, heatwaves & floods, particularly dangerous due to their compounding effects on lives and amenities of rural and urban areas, respectively. In scorching heatwaves in urban areas, power supplies have been disturbed due to non payment of high electricity bills. Karachites have faced this situation where KE loadsheding timing has been increased in non bill payment areas. This same situation has been faced by the residents of Lahore and other urban areas.

In this whole man made scenario of both disasters, challenges of floods and heatwaves requires a multifaceted approach. Improved rural and urban planning can enhance resilience by incorporating green infrastructure such as parks and green roofs that mitigate both flooding and heat stress. Incorporating green spaces, parks, and urban forests helps mitigate the urban heat island effect by providing shade and cooling through evapotranspiration. Upgrading drainage systems and implementing early warning systems can enhance preparedness and response efforts. Furthermore, promoting climate-resilient building designs and encouraging community preparedness and education are crucial steps towards reducing vulnerability. Building resilience to heatwaves requires a comprehensive approach that integrates urban planning, infrastructure improvements, and community engagement.

Investing in sustainable practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions can also help mitigate the long-term impacts of climate change, thereby reducing the frequency and severity of these dual disasters. Urban cities need action plans that include early warning systems, outreach campaigns to vulnerable populations, and guidelines for healthcare providers can help mitigate heat-related health risks.

As per census 2023, our urban populations are continuously growing and climate change accelerates, the frequency and intensity of heatwaves are expected to increase. Addressing these challenges requires proactive measures by the civic agencies and local government. By implementing adaptive strategies and fostering community partnerships, cities can enhance their capacity to withstand and recover from heatwave events, safeguarding the health and well-being of all residents.

Our urban civic agencies and government departments in rural areas are almost doing nothing. Government departments have no plan to face both disasters in rural and urban areas. Departments even Provincial Disaster Management Authorities and District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) have no any plan to face disaster. These believes in post disaster planning. They have nothing to do with pre-disaster planning. Though our rural and urban areas have already faced heatwaves and flooding in 2010, 2011, 2012 & 2022, DDMAs have not learn any lesson from both disasters. DDMAs are not well equipped till today to face both emergencies. DDMAs have no any office, equipment, human resource, experts to face disasters. I suggest that provincial government must equip DDMAs with a separate budget for office, human resource, experts and equipment to face disasters effectively and holistically, otherwise climate change related disasters will further damage poor urban and rural societies.