south Asiatic monsoon and flood hazards in the Indus river basin, Pakistan

ABSTRACT

Flood is the most common of all environmental hazards. Each year floods claim over 20,000 lives adversely affect around 75 million people. The reason lies because of the widespread geographical distribution of rivers basins from mountainous terrain to flood plains, the low lying coasts and deltas. Pakistan is also a country which faces flood hazard periodically. The Indus river basin is the main flood prone area which occupies two-third area of Pakistan. The recent flood which occurred between 29 [th] July and 26 [th] August 2010 was the worst flood in the history of Pakistan. It affected four provinces, the Khyber Pakhtoon Khwa [NWF], Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh. Out of 143 districts, 67 districts of Pakistan were severely affected. It is estimated that about 20 million people were directly affected, killed 3000, destroyed 1 million houses, displaced 10 millions, and millions were affected water-borne diseases, lack of food, drinking water and shelter. It is estimated that about 130 million hectare of croplands had been inundated. The present study is an attempt to present a historical analysis of the relationship of south Asiatic monsoon and occurrence of severe floods in the Indus River basin. The study examines the nature of south Asiatic monsoon which caused catastrophic flood of 2010 in the Indus River basin and also probe out anthropogenic causes of flood hazard and problems of flood water and flood pain management