Pakistan: 2022 Monsoon Floods - Situation Report No. 8 (As of 30 September 2022)

This report is produced by the OCHA Humanitarian Advisory Team (HAT) in Pakistan in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 24-30 September 2022. The next report will be issued on or around 7 October 2022.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Prevalence of water-borne and vector-borne diseases is a growing concern especially in Sindh and Balochistan, where many districts remain inundated.
• Around 1.6 million women of reproductive age, including nearly 130,000 pregnant women, need urgent health services.
• 8.62 million people in 28 assessed districts estimated to be in crisis and emergency phases of food security between September and November 2022, according to preliminary findings from Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – including some 5.74 million people in flood-affected districts covered by the assessment.
• Government-led multi-sectoral rapid needs assessments completed in Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the support of NGOs and the UN.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Rainfall in Balochistan and Sindh reduced substantially over the past week, as temperatures start to decrease towards the winter. Normal conditions are prevailing in most districts of Balochistan, while in Sindh, the Indus River is flowing normally at Guddu, Sukkur and Kotri Barrages, with reduced water levels along its margins. Overall, water levels are receding in the upper areas of Taluka Qubo Saeed Khan, Shahdadkot, Kambar, Warah, and Nasirabad. As of 20 September, in 18 out of 22 districts of Sindh, floodwater levels had receded at least 34 per cent, and in some districts up to 78 per cent.

Large parts of Sindh remain flooded, with access continuing to be a challenge in inundated areas. Increasing cases of water-borne and vector diseases are a major concern, particularly in the most affected areas of Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On 20 September alone, the National Institute of Health reportedly recorded 1,900 cases of acute watery diarrhea, 200 cases of malaria and 50 cases of dengue fever across Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh. Many people live in unsanitary conditions in temporary shelters, often with limited access to basic services, compounding the risk of a major public health crisis. When possible, pregnant women are being treated in temporary camps, and nearly 130,000 pregnant women need urgent health services. Already before the floods, Pakistan had one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Asia, with the situation likely to deteriorate.

Government-led multi-sector rapid needs assessments (RNA) conducted in Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in September indicate that unsanitary practices are rising due to damaged water infrastructure, with open defecation in the assessed areas increasing from 21 per cent before the floods to 35 per cent after. Some 950,000 households’ latrines were damaged or not accessible, with an estimated 6.3 million affected. An additional 14 per cent of affected persons (4.7 million) do not practice handwashing with soap at critical times due to a lack of facilities and limited awareness.

Malnutrition in flood-affected communities is a further concern. Prevalence of Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) was already high in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh prior to the floods; 96 per cent of children under 2 were not consuming a minimum acceptable diet, and at least 40 per cent of children under 5 were chronically malnourished (stunted). The current floods are expected to exacerbate food insecurity. Before the floods, an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis of 28 vulnerable districts in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh estimated 5.96 million people in the assessed districts to be in IPC Phase 3 (crisis) and 4 (emergency) between July and November 2022 – a figure that was expected to increase to 7.2 million people from December 2022 to March 2023. More recent analyses of these districts indicate preliminarily that 8.62 million people in the assessed districts are estimated to be in crisis and emergency phases between September and November 2022, including some 5.74 million people in flood-affected districts covered by the assessment – 3.82 million people in IPC Phase 3 and 1.92 million in IPC Phase 4.

As of 30 September, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has recorded nearly 1,700 deaths and more than 12,800 injuries since mid-June. The highest death rates were recorded in Sindh (747), Balochistan (325) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (307). More than 2 million houses have been damaged or destroyed and around 7.9 million people are reportedly displaced, including some 598,000 people living in relief camps, according to reports by the Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMA) of the affected provinces. Estimates indicate that more than 7,000 schools are currently being used to host displaced populations, while an estimated 25,100 schools have been damaged.