How Concern is responding to devastating flooding in Pakistan

So far, the flooding as forced has forced 5.8 million people from their homes. More than 900 people have been killed and nearly 1,200 injured. Roads and bridges have been washed away, restricting people’s ability to move around for work and access essential services like healthcare and education. Over 8,000 homes have been destroyed and many farming families have lost their livestock, land and crops - essential sources of income and food.

The areas worst impacted are in the north of the country, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces. The areas hit are known as Pakistan’s farming belt. Food prices have already increased due to the floods destroying vegetables and maize stocks. Damage to agricultural fields means the situation will only worsen as farmers will be unable to plant wheat for the coming harvest season.  

Concern is working in both provinces, as well as Gilgit-Baltistan, which is also experiencing flooding. We are also preparing to respond in Sindh province as the flood water is forecast to enter the province in the coming days, where 1.6 million people are at risk. 

“Visiting the affected areas, I saw first-hand the damage and destruction," said Shafqat Ullah, Senior Technical Advisor on Livelihoods with Concern. "While driving through a local market, my heart descended at the sight of it buried under thick mud and scattered debris. The shopkeepers were there, knee-deep in the mess, removing mud and debris from their shops. They have lost everything; their shops, their livelihoods, their sense of stability."

“The destruction in a nearby village was even more devastating. Homes lay in ruins, crushed by massive boulders and stones carried down by the raging flood waters. Farmers lost their entire mature maize crops. In the face of such profound loss, we're committed to standing with these vulnerable communities, supporting with humanitarian assistance, rebuilding what we can, and helping them reclaim their futures.”

Concern is working with our partners to supply items such as food ration packs containing flour, rice, and beans; bedding kits with mattresses, quilts, and floor mats; hygiene kits that include soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and sanitary pads; and debris removal kits with pickaxes, spades, and wheelbarrows.

“Our financial situation is very difficult, and we live hand-to-mouth,” said Yasmeen Akhtar from Punjab province.  “During the recent heavy rains, our house completely collapsed, and rainwater flooded our home. We were left with no shelter, no food, and no basic utensils to cook with. For four to five days, our neighbours supported us with food and helped rescue us from the dangerous situation.” 

“I am incredibly thankful to Concern as I received a kitchen set and a hygiene kit, which helped us restore some dignity and meet our basic needs during a very difficult time.”

The government has established 1,378 relief camps sheltering nearly 42,000 people. Concern, alongside its partners, are repairing facilities like toilets, hand pumps and handwashing stations in some of these camps. 

Extreme weather events leading to heavier monsoon rains are becoming more regular in Pakistan due to climate change. Cloudbursts, a rare phenomenon, hit a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on August 15. More than 150mm of rain fell in just an hour; for comparison the average rainfall in Ireland for the entire month of August was 78.1mm. 

Many of the areas hit by this year’s flooding also experienced fatal and catastrophic floods in 2022, in which at least 1,700 people were killed. It was the most devastating natural disaster in Pakistan’s recorded history.  More than eight million people were displaced, and the loss to the economy was estimated at €25 billion by the World Bank.

Now just three years on, Pakistan is facing a similar catastrophe, with many communities still not recovered from having lost their homes, land, and everything they had worked for in 2022.