Pakistan 2010 River Case Study Flashcards
What was the dates of the flooding in Pakistan
26th July 2010 until August 2010
What where the most affected areas in Pakistan
The areas of the central and southern regions of Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan provinces
What was the same of the River that flooded
River Indus
Physical. Describe the affects of the higher than normal temperatures
Higher than normal temperatures that caused snowmelt in the Himalayan Foothills, this water fed the River Indus
Physical. What were the type of rains
Monsoon rains
Physical. What was the experience of the summer monsoon rains and what happened rainfall levels
The wet summer monsoon rains that were experienced were particularly intense and resulted in rainfall being twice the average rainfall for July and august
Physical. Where did the wet summer monsoon rains extend further over
The wet summer monsoon rains extended further NorthWest across Pakistan than usual
Physical. What was the result of the monsoon rains extending further northwest where did this add water to
This resulted in the Northern State of KPK and Swat Valley receiving unexpected intense flash floods which added a huge deluge of water into upper tributaries
Human. What was the rate of deforestation
2% deforestation per year
Human. What affect did the increased rate of deforestation have on soil and river bank erosion
There was an increased rate of soil and river bank erosion, therefore decreasing the capacity of the river channel and there was less interception meaning water reached the channel at a faster rate, causing flooding
Human. How many canals, barrages and channels where poorly maintained (what where these the source of) and what resulted from this
1000km of canals, barrages and channels were poorly maintained and these where the source of water irrigation but they ended up choked with silt
Human. What is irrigation
Irrigation is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops
Human. Describe the characteristic of the Indus River and the impact that the loss of discharge had on it
The river Indus is a sediment rich river, and the loss of discharge man there was less energy to transport the sediment downstream to deltas and floodplains
Human. What is the population of Pakistan and what pressures does this come with
Pakistan has a population of 191 million people, increasing by 3 million each year. With this there is a high pressure to protect homes and buildings from floods
Human. What happens when levees are breached
The flood waters are trapped on the floodplain due to the levees and water can’t get back into the river so floods are prolonged
Human. What problems to the channel capacity did the introduction of an extensive network of levees add too
Levees were introduced, but the extensive network of levees also added to the problem of reduced channel capacity. Levees cut the river off from the floodplain and sediment was confined to the channel and deposited on the river bed and if levees are breached the flood waters are trapped on the floodplain due to the levees and water can’t get back into the river so floods are prolonged
IOP. How many people died
1800 people
IOP. How many people injured by intense flood waters
3000 injuries
IOP. How many people were recorded homeless and what were they in need of
10 million people were recorded as homeless and in need of food and water
IOP. How many houses where damaged/ destroyed
1.6 million houses damaged/ destroyed
IOP. Where was most common for houses to be destroyed
On the densely populated Punjab state
IOP. How many people did the UN estimate that the flooding had affected
14 million people in some way
IOP. What % of the countries population did not have access to good nutrition, what areas mostly
70% of the countries population, mostly rural did not have access to good nutrition
IOP. What was the one positive to the flooding (what sector did it boost)
Irrigation water from the river had improved soil fertility which can boost agriculture, which employed 45% of Pakistans population
IOP. Overall, how did the flooding affect Pakistan
Negatively
IOPR. How many villages and homes were flooded
11,000 villages and 1.2 million homes were damaged/ destroyed
IOPR. Many key social amenities were affected, how many schools and health facilities did the gov estimate where washed away
The government estimated that 7000 schools and 400 health facilities were washed away during the floods
IOPR. What happened in Swat Valley, KPK
Every one of its 20 bridges were lost which meant that people where trapped and cut off
IOPR. What was the total cost of damage to property for Pakistan
The total cost of the damage to property cost 7 million dollars which was nearly 1/5 of Pakistan’s GDP
IOL. How much of the country did the flood waters cover
The flood waters covered 1/5 of the country
IOL. How wide was the Indus River since flooding
The Indus River was over 24km wide which was over 25 times its usual width
IOL. Across the whole country, how much of the most fertile land was washed away
Across the whole country 7 million hectares of the most fertile land was washed away
IOL. What caused pollution to the floodwaters
Petrol and diesel was swept into the water causing pollution which is dangerous to animals and humans
IOL. How much of the reptiles and small animal habitats were affected by floodwaters
89% of all reptiles and small animal habitats were affected by floodwaters
IOL. What was a benefit the flooding had in the land
A benefit to the flood waters was that the fresh waters had helped to reduce soil salinity levels in the soil
In conclusion what were the short and long term impacts on Pakistan from the floods
Hugely negative short term impacts, however, the flooding was beneficial to agriculture in the long term
