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The impact of the 2022 Pakistan floods was unimaginable.

Between June and October 2022, millions of people were affected by the destructive floods and landslides that occurred straight after the monsoon season. More than 33 million people were impacted, 90 districts hit, and an estimated 8 million people were displaced. UN Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres described the floods as "a monsoon on steroids".

By the end of November 2022, the Pakistan National Disaster Management Authority had reported that over 1,700 people having lost their lives and at least 12,867 people injured.

As the largest humanitarian organisation in the country, Pakistan Red Crescent Society teams remained at the forefront of the response, along with partners from the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement.

"The Pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids 鈥� the relentless impact of epochal levels of rain and flooding." Ant贸nio Guterres, UN Secretary-General

How much of Pakistan was flooded?

During the extreme floods in 2022, a third of Pakistan was under water. The areas of Pakistan most affected by the floods were the Balochistan and Sindh districts, as they are more rural areas that were harder for relief teams to reach.

Why did Pakistan flood and what were the causes?

Pakistan has a monsoon season between July and August, during which the country sees about 255mm of rain per month, on average. 

In 2022, the monsoon rains saw record highs, receiving over 190% of its normal rainfall in July and August. Flood basins became saturated with water, rivers overflowed and the natural drainage system was unable to cope with the volume of water. Enormous rainfall is the direct cause of flooding in Pakistan.

However, extreme weather like this is happening more frequently and intensely because of climate change. The impact of climate change in Pakistan saw glaciers melting, contributing to the torrential rain.

Were the floods in Pakistan due to climate change?

Climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution are threatening human development and the survival of humanity.

Billions of people are already suffering from the humanitarian consequences of the climate crisis. And the world鈥檚 most vulnerable communities, who contributed least to the climate crisis but are bearing the brunt of it.

Waseem Ahmed, Chief Executive of Islamic Relief Worldwide, states that: "As climate-related catastrophes increase, it is the poorest and most vulnerable people who bear the brunt of the suffering. They are the ones most likely to live in fragile homes and least likely to have savings to fall back on, or assets to sell, or any kind of 鈥楶lan B鈥� when floods hit and crops and livestock are wiped out.鈥�

Pakistan鈥檚 carbon emissions are less than one percent in the global carbon trajectory, but it鈥檚 ranked among the ten most vulnerable countries to climate change, according to the Germanwatch think tank.

The effects of climate change in Pakistan include a heightened frequency of extreme weather events, like the devastating floods that occurred in 2022. Many of the world鈥檚 most vulnerable and at-risk communities, like Pakistan, face multiple or consecutive disasters, leaving no time to recover before the next extreme weather event arrives.

When communities are prepared, extreme weather events do not become disasters

While disaster response will always be necessary, far more funds, expertise, and energy should be spent on helping local communities predict disasters, prepare for them, and mitigate their impacts. This would be far better than reacting to disasters after they wreak havoc.

"As climate-related catastrophes increase, it is the poorest and most vulnerable people who bear the brunt of the suffering" - Waseem Ahmad, Chief Executive of Islamic Relief Worldwide

Was malaria a health emergency in Pakistan?

Yes. According to the World Health Organisation, there was been a four-fold increase in the number of malaria cases after the floods in Pakistan, from 400,000 cases nationwide in 2021 to more than 1.6 million cases in 2022.

The floods had effectively driven the worst malaria outbreak in Pakistan since 1973 and upended all the extensive malaria control efforts undertaken before the floods started.

The Balochistan and Sindh districts were particularly affected. These more isolated rural areas were particularly hard to reach after the Pakistan flooding, allowing water to stand for longer and for malaria to take hold.

Due to the large amount of residual stagnant water, other diseases such as cholera and dengue fever flourished.

Were there any other health emergencies after the floods in Pakistan?

Scabies was also prevalent among children residing in flood-affected areas due to contact with stagnant floodwater. Being a contagious skin disease, one person can affect the entire family.

Consuming contaminated water resulted in multiple cases of diarrhoea, vomiting, and fever.

After the Pakistan floods, what did the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement do to support people's health?

Working on multiple fronts, the Pakistan Red Crescent Society provided life-saving shelter and treatment.

Mobile medical health teams provided free healthcare, and portable water treatment plants were installed to provide vital clean, and safe drinking water.

Many people were deeply distressed by the chaos caused by the flooding. The PRCS provided psychosocial support where possible, but the needs were vast.

What did the Red Cross do to help people in Pakistan?

In one of its biggest relief operations ever, the Pakistan Red Crescent reached 930,734 people with emergency life-saving assistance.

They worked closely with the wider movement, as well as national and local authorities.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement was  able to get vital support to those in need, focusing on urgent necessities such as food, water, and shelter.

The Red Cross Red Crescent delivered critical relief, including:

• 317,072 people received temporary shelter 
• Over 283,800 people were given critical relief items, including 26,500 food parcels, 33,300 mosquito nets, and over 34,700 hygiene kits
• 11 water treatment plants were distributed, providing 187,000 litres of safe drinking water to 37,400 people each day
• Over 73,000 people were provided with critical health care through 13 medical health units, 17 medical sites, and continued first aid support.