In 2016 Pakistan experienced higher rainfall than normal (10-20%), especially in the pre-monsoon season. Heavy monsoon rains are common in the region. This led to multiple periods of flooding, landslides, and damage (including loss of life) particularly in Northern Pakistan. The Swat River overflowed and multiple landslides occurred around Pakistan including in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu, and Kashmir.
Overview
Heavier than usual pre-monsoon rains affected over 53 districts of Pakistan resulting in deaths, injuries, and damage with 56% of deaths occurring in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (where the most rain fell). Flooding and landslides damaged houses alongside the Karakoram Highway. Road blockages disrupted supply chains resulting in food shortages in Gilgit-Baltistan. The Pakistan Government did not request support from the international community but airlifted 20 tons of emergency food and shelter supplies to Gilgit-Baltistan to assist in the relief efforts. The Pakistan Red Crescent Society and Agha Khan Development Network (AKDN) provided emergency health kits and non-food items including tents. The Pakistan Government also ensured compensation for deaths and injuries amongst the families affected. Despite the ongoing rains the government returned families back to their places of origin.
Background
Heavy rainfall is common in Southern Asia during the pre-monsoon season.
Geography and climate
The Northern regions of Pakistan include parts of the Karakorum mountains and the Himalaya range, containing many of the world's highest mountain peaks as well as large glaciers. The presence of these geological features combined with the flow of warm, moist air from the Bay of Bengal, subject the region to periods of extreme rainfall and increased fluvial flows. This includes two regular monsoon seasons from June through September, and October to November. The rain during monsoon seasons combined with increasing amounts of glacial melt in lakes and rivers, contribute to frequent flooding events in Pakistan. The primary source of flood flows in 2016 were generated by moderate to heavy downpour in upper catchments of major rivers and their tributaries.
Climate change
The severity of previous floods in Pakistan, notably the 2010 flood, have been directly attributed to the effects of climate change. One of the major climate threats is the predicted increase of extreme weather, coupled with changing monsoon rains which cause intense floods followed by periods of drought. Climate change has increased the frequency of flooding events in the region and in Pakistan in particular. In recent memory the most severe of these were the devastating floods in 2010.
Housing, infrastructure and governance
After severe floods in 1973 and 1976, the Federal Flood Commission was established to assume a unified national responsibility for flood protection works (previously a devolved responsibility of the provincial governments within Pakistan). A government report in 2009 acknowledged the limited success of flood protection measures in the major river valleys of Pakistan, and also noted that "As there is no proper regulatory frame work in the country regarding the settlement in riverine areas, most of the poor people have constructed their shelters along the vulnerable river banks and become victims to devastating floods."
Geographical and physical impact of the 2016 Pakistan floods
Due to varying geography, Pakistan has many different climates, including: hot desert climates, humid subtropical climates, hot semi-arid climates, cold desert climates, cold semi-arid climates and oceanic climates. The average annual precipitation is 494mm and the average monthly precipitation is 4.30mm. Pakistan is also described as having "three major hydrological landscapes" these consist of the Indus Basin, the Kharan Basin and the Makran Coastal area. It was large quantities of rainwater and glacial melt into the Indus Basin area that primarily contributed to the 2016 floods.
Pakistan's monsoon rains originate from moisture which moves over India. Consequently, flooding events occur every year. However, the monsoons are beginning to migrate north-westerly, where there are fewer smaller and narrower rivers which are not sufficient to collect monsoon water to prevent flooding.
In the provinces of Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber-Paktunkhwa, FATA, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, it was reported that 171 houses were damaged as of the 18th of March 2016.
Rain started at night of Saturday, April 3, rainfall began to spur floods in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region in the northwest.