Pakistan Flood 2010 (LEDC) Flashcards
Most areas received ___________ their average rainfall in July and August
Twice
The inundation was the worst for ______________
80 years
In 2010, unusual air flows in the upper atmosphere blocked the normal progress of the jet stream that guides the rain, including very heavy rainfall over the Western Himalayas. This created:
A deluge of water into upper tributaries of Ganges
Many meteorologists have linked the unusual rainfall pattern to:
2010-11 La Niña cycle
Flood water that spread over the countryside was trapped by raised embankments:
Preventing water from draining back into river channel when discharge levels fell
1000s of irrigation channels and canals blocked by silt:
Routine maintenance had been poor in places - failed to contain water flow
Population of 191m people , increasing by 3m per year - increased demand for food/housing lead to:
Forest clearing and expansion of urban areas - impermeable surfaces and rapid surface runoff.
Pakistan deforestation rate
2%
Number of houses damaged or destroyed
1.6 million
Number of schools needing to be rebuilt
7600
Number of people homeless two weeks after flood
10 million
Stagnant flood water ideal breeding area for
Malarial mosquito -
Water borne diseases
Dysentery, diarrhoea and cholera
Extensive damage to road infrastructure. How much?
25000 km and bridges collapsed in mountain areas cutting off communities
Primary farming infrastructure such as ___________________ destroyed
Tube wells, animal sheds, personal seed stocks, fertilisers and agricultural machinery
How many head of livestock killed?
1.2 million (6 million poultry)
Early estimates of cost of rebuilding lost and damaged infrastructure:
Around £7 billion
On tributaries of India, percentage of habitats of reptiles and small mammals affected:
89%
What was washed into river system by floods causing pollution downstream?
Large quantities of petrol and diesel
Wildlife killed in significant numbers including :
Hog deer and bears
As flood waters did not recede for months in parts of Sindh province farmers were unable to plant what?
Wheat for the Ravi season
RARE POSITIVE
Regular annual floods help to replenish groundwater store for winter wells and pumps and the exceptional flood revived:
The mangrove ecosystem of the Indus delta which had been in decline for 50 years
