Islamabad, 7 September 2022 (TDI): WWF reports that the intensity and Geographical scope of the monsoons are the differences between the floods of 2010 and 2022 in Pakistan.
According to WWF, the provinces of Baluchistan and Sindh received five times more than the average rainfall in the monsoon of 2022 which caused massive inland flooding.
The primary difference between the 2010 and 2022 floods is the intensity and geographical scope of the monsoons in 2022 which severely affected Balochistan and Sindh. Both provinces received nearly 5 times the average rainfall resulting in massive in-land flooding. pic.twitter.com/Xlw0ujhjBQ
— WWF-Pakistan (@WWFPak) September 6, 2022
In the history of Pakistan, the 2010 floods were considered the most brutal calamities till now. But the 2022 floods proved otherwise. These floods have already affected 33 million people in contrast to 20 million in 2010.
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Whereas 6 million people were displaced in 2010 but in 2022 that number is 3.1 million. Yet another spell of heavy monsoon rains is expected soon. This indeed is the worst challenge Pakistan has faced in a decade.
The death count in the 2010 floods was 1,985. It is more than 1,300 for now which includes nearly 500 children. The authorities are trying their best to stop the death toll from reaching that point.
In the 2010 flooding, one-fifth of the total land area was affected whereas in 2022, one-third of Pakistan is submerged in floodwaters.
The 2010 flood targeted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa more than the rest of the country. But this time, the flood has affected the provinces of Baluchistan and Sindh on a larger scale along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The net loss in the 2010 flood was estimated to be $43 billion. The Government of Pakistan has estimated it to be $10 billion across the country for now.
Brutalities of Climate Change
Both floods were caused due to heavy monsoon rains, La Niña, pre-monsoon thunderstorms, glacial over flooding, and climate change. Pakistan is among the top eight countries facing the long-term effects of climate change.
In an interview, Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s federal minister for climate change, said, “We’re a very small greenhouse gas emitter … so I don’t think it’s our mitigation efforts that have been lacking. Yes, certainly, we have to build back climate-resilient infrastructure and we have to focus on adaptation. We’ve been very focused on our global promises on mitigation, but that’s led us nowhere, as you can see.”
International bodies are working for flood relief in Pakistan. But for long-term solutions, the entire globe needs to work collectively to counter climate change.
