0Having trouble reading this email? Download the PDF. NOVEMBER 2010 Home Subscribe Archive Contact Thematic Focus: Disasters and Conflicts, and Environmental Governance

Pakistan's Flood of the Century is a Global Disaster Why is this issue important? Northwestern Pakistan experienced its worst flooding in a century in late-July and early-August 2010. Unusually heavy monsoon rains led the Indus River to inundate areas far beyond its banks affecting the densely populated Punjab and other regions. More than 1 600 people have died, 2 million are homeless, and from 15 to 20 million people are affected (UN2010). The floodwaters destroyed large parts of the infrastructure and crops in Pakistan's breadbasket. The issue is a significant environmental disaster, since the area is primarily based on an agrarian economy. Some 6 879 655 ha of agricultural land have been submerged. In the Punjab alone, almost 404 685 ha of cotton-growing land was affected. The flood-affected lands could lose their crop and livestock producing capacity, with severe long-term impacts on both the environment and livelihoods. In addition, the fl oods will force more people to move to already crowded urban areas. Figure 1: The districts affected by the Indus flooding. The flood wave initiated by the heavy rains can be tracked by river gauges as it perpetuates downstream (Source: OCHA 2010). Figure 2: Satellite imagery (MODIS Terra) showing the extent of the flooded area in th