The 2020 Karachi floods () were the worst flooding Karachi had seen in almost a century, and killed at least 41 people across Pakistan. The floods were caused by record monsoon rains, which were inadequately drained by poorly maintained drainage systems in the city. The resulting floods caused deaths and destruction of infrastructure and properties in the city.
Background and Details of the 2020 Karachi Floods
Flood Events in Pakistan
Flooding is Pakistan's most threatening natural disaster. There have been eight floods in Pakistan in the last two decades.
Common Causes of Flooding in Pakistan
The frequency of floods has been increasing over time. The causes of floods can be divided into factors affecting rainfall, and factors affecting water retention, such as drainage and deforestation. Climate change is the primary cause of the increasing trend in flooding frequency and severity in Pakistan.
2020 Karachi Floods
It has been the worst flooding since 1931 in Karachi, killing at least 41 people and leaving hundreds of thousands trapped. The record monsoon rains with inadequate drainage systems in the city caused this flood. The heavy rainfalls shattered all-time records for rainfall in a single day and other records. During August 2020, 484 mm of rain fell and was the highest amount of rain in August back to 1931. The rainfall for a single day set a new record of 223.5 mm, surpassing the previous high of 211.3 mm set in 1967.
Landslides, infrastructure damage, and traffic jams caused by the floods disrupted the daily lives of around 15 million residents.
Urban Conditions in the Flood
Flooding engulfed the city, Karachi, bringing everything to a halt. There was a devastating damage to public infrastructures (such as broken electricity cables) and private properties (such as buildings collapsed). These damages also brought about a series of subsequent crises, with eight people dying in Karachi as a result of a wall collapse.
Causes of the Floods
Deterioration of Drainage Channels
The damage of drains in Karachi, called nalas (such as Gujjar Nala) has been severe in recent years. Residents buy solid waste and compact it along nalas to protect their homes and this move reduces the width of the nala. In addition, since the only two landfills in Karachi are far from the eastern city, lots of non-recyclable materials are thrown in to nalas. As the development plan of Karachi was not implemented, the pressure of insufficient space for commercial activities forced the government to build bazaars over the nalas.
Vast Population Increase and Lack of Development in Sewers
As the population of Karachi increases and the city expands, the construction of various sectors is becoming far away from the gutter garden, which is one part of Karachi's sewage system. A planned sewage treatment plant was never built.
Real Estate Development
Due to the large-scale real estate development, many natural drainage channels and water collection depressions have been dismantled in the hilly formations north of the city. When it rains, the south of the area is completely flooded.
Serious Institutional Issues
The central and provincial governments of Karachi are controlled by different political parties and their views cannot be unified, making it is struggled to solve the infrastructure problems of Karachi and even unable to get sufficient investment to deal with drainage trouble.
Types of Response
Local strategies
Local Government
In response to the catastrophic floods in Karachi, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah ordered that schools be used as resettlement sites for these displaced families.
Meeran Yousuf, a spokesperson for the Sindh Health Government, said the health department was spraying disinfectants to eliminate larvae to avert dengue and malaria epidemics after the massive floods.
Pakistani Army & Other National Authority
The Pakistani army was also summoned to Karachi on July 30, 2020, to aid the civil authorities in addressing the city's flooding problem. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army also collaborated with the local National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Frontier Works Organization (FWO)to relief Karachi residents who have been affected by the monsoon rains. Additionally, they would be entrusted with cleaning up the debris left by the city's floods.
The Emergency Response Force (ERF) has been sent to help persons in need in many sites around Karachi on 20 August 2020.